sea, that King Yucef, the son of the Miramamolin, who dwelt in Morocco,was coming to lay siege unto Valencia with fifty thousand men. When theCid heard this he gave command to store all his Castles, and had themwell repaired. And he had the walls of the city prepared, and stored itwell with food and with all things needful for war, and gatheredtogether a great power of Christians and of the Moors of his seignory.Hardly had he done this before he heard that Yucef was near at hand,and coming as fast as he could come. Then the Cid assembled togetherthe Christians in the Alcazar, and when they were assembled, he roseupon his feet and said, Friends and kinsmen and vassals, praised be Godand holy Mary Mother, all the good which I have in the world I havehere in Valencia; with hard labour I won the city, and hold it for myheritage, and for nothing less than death will I leave it. My daughtersand my wife shall see me fight, they shall see with their own eyes ourmanner of living in this land, and how we get our bread. We will go outagainst the Moors and give them battle, and God who hath thus far shownfavour unto us will still continue to be our helper. When they heardthis they cried out with one accord that they would do his bidding, andgo out with him and fight under his banner, for certain they were thatby his good fortune the Moors would be overthrown.

XVIII. On the morrow the Cid took Dona Ximena by the hand, and herdaughters with her, and made them go up upon the highest tower of theAlcazar, and they looked toward the sea and saw the great power of theMoors, how they came on and drew nigh, and began to pitch their tentsround about Valencia, beating their tambours and with great uproar. AndXimena's heart failed her, and she asked the Cid if peradventure Godwould deliver him from these enemies. Fear not, honoured woman, saidhe; you are but lately arrived, and they come to bring you a present,which shall help marry your daughters. Fear not, for you shall see mefight by the help of God and holy Mary Mother; my heart kindles becauseyou are here! The more Moors the more gain! The tambours sounded nowwith a great alarum, and the sun was shining. Cheer up, said my Cid;this is a glorious day. But Ximena was seized with such fear as if herheart would have broken; she and her daughters had never been in suchfear since the day that they were born. Then the good Cid Campeadorstroked his beard and said, Fear not, all this is for your good. Beforefifteen days are over, if it please God, those tambours shall be laidbefore you, and shall be sounded for your pleasure, and then they shallbe given to the Bishop Don Hieronymo, that he may hang them up in theChurch of St. Mary, Mother of God. This vow the Cid Campeador made. Nowthe Moors began to enter the gardens which were round about the town,and the watchman saw them and struck the bell. My Cid looked back andsaw Alvar Salvadores beside him, and he said, go now, take two hundredhorse, and sally upon yonder Moors who are entering the gardens; letDona Xiraena and her daughters see the good will you have to servethem. Down went Alvar Salvadores in great haste, and ordered a bell tobe rung which was a signal for two hundred knights to make ready; forthe history saith, that the Cid, by reason that he was alway in war,had appointed, such signals for his people, that they knew when onehundred were called for, and when two, and so forth. Presently theywere ready at the place of meeting, and the gate was opened which wasnearest the gardens where the Moors had entered, without order; andthey fell fiercely upon them, smiting and slaying. Great was thepleasure of the Cid at seeing how well they behaved themselves. AndDona Ximena and her daughters stood trembling, like women who had neverseen such things before: and when the Cid saw it he made them seatthemselves, so as no longer to behold it. Great liking had the BishopDon Hieronymo to see how bravely they fought. Alvar Salvadores and hiscompanions bestirred themselves so well that they drove the enemy totheir tents, making great mortality among them, and then they turnedback, whereat my Cid was well pleased; but Alvar Salvadores went on,hacking and hewing all before him, for he thought the ladies werelooking on, and he pressed forward so far, that being without succourhe was taken. The others returned to the city, falling back in braveorder till they were out of reach of the enemy: and they had done nolittle in that exploit, for they slew above two hundred and fiftyMoors. When my Cid saw that they who eat his bread were returned, hewent down from the tower, and received them right well, and praisedthem for what they had done like good knights: howbeit he was fullsorrowful for Alvar Salvadores that he should be in the hands of theMoors, but he trusted in God that he should deliver him on the morrow.

XIX. And the Cid assembled his chief captains and knights and people,and said unto them, Kinsmen and friends and vassals, hear me: to-dayhas been a good day, and to-morrow shall be a better. Be you all armedand ready in the dark of the morning; mass shall be said, and theBishop Don Hieronymo will give us absolution, and then we will tohorse, and out and smite them in the name of the Creator and of theApostle Santiago. It is fitter that we should live than that theyshould gather in the fruits of this land. But let us take counsel inwhat manner we may go forth, so as to receive least hurt, for they area mighty power, and we can only defeat them by great mastery in war.When Alvar Fanez Minaya heard this, he answered and said, Praised beGod and your good fortune, you have achieved greater things than this,and I trust in God's mercy that you will achieve this also. Give methree hundred horse, and we will go out when the first cock crows, andput ourselves in ambush in the valley of Albuhera; and when you havejoined battle we will issue out and fall upon them on the other side,and on one side or the other God will help us. Well was the Cid pleasedwith this counsel, and he said that it should be so; and he bade themfeed their horses in time and sup early, and as soon as it wascock-crow come to the Church of St. Pedro, and hear mass, and shrivethemselves, and communicate, and then take horse in the name of theTrinity, that the soul of him who should die in the business might gowithout let to God.

XX. Day is gone, and night is come. At cock-crow they all assembledtogether in the Church of St. Pedro, and the Bishop Don Hieronymo sungmass, and they were shriven and assoyled, and howselled. Great was theabsolution which the Bishop gave them: He who shall die, said he,fighting face forward, I will take his sins, and God shall have hissoul. Then said he, A boon, Cid Don Rodrigo; I have sung mass to youthis morning: let me have the giving the first wounds in this battle!and the Cid granted him this boon in the name of God. Then being allready they went out through the gate which is called the Gate of theSnake, for the greatest power of the Moors was on that side, leavinggood men to guard the gates. Alvar Fanez and his company were alreadygone forth, and had laid their ambush. Four thousand, lacking thirty,were they who went out with my Cid, with a good will, to attack fiftythousand. They went through all the narrow places, and bad passes, andleaving the ambush on the left, struck to the right hand, so as to getthe Moors between them and the town. And the Cid put his battles ingood array, and bade Pero Bermudez bear his banner. When the Moors sawthis they were greatly amazed; and they harnessed themselves in greathaste, and came out of their tents. Then the Cid bade his banner moveon, and the Bishop Don Hieronymo pricked forward with his company, andlaid on with such guise, that the hosts were soon mingled together.Then might you have seen many a horse running about the field with thesaddle under his belly, and many a horseman in evil plight upon theground. Great was the smiting and slaying in short time; but by reasonthat the Moors were so great a number, they bore hard upon theChristians, and were in the hour of overcoming them. And the Cid began,to encourage them with a loud voice, shouting God and Santiago! AndAlvar Fanez at this time issued out from ambush, and fell upon them, onthe side which was nearest the sea; and the Moors thought that a greatpower had arrived to the Cid's succour, and they were dismayed, andbegan to fly. And the Cid and his people pursued, punishing them in abad way. If we should wish to tell you how every one behaved himself inthis battle, it is a thing which could not be done, for all did so wellthat no man can relate their feats. And the Cid Ruydiez did go well,and made such mortality among the Moors, that the blood ran from hiswrist to his elbow! great pleasure had he in his horse Bavieca thatday, to find himself so well mounted. And in the pursuit he came up toKing Yucef, and smote him three times: but the King escaped from underthe sword, for the horse of the Cid passed on in his course, and whenhe turned, the King being on a fleet horse, was far off, so that hemight not be overtaken; and he got into a Castle called Guyera, for sofar did the Christians pursue them, smiting and slaying, and givingthem no respite, so that hardly fifteen thousand escaped of fifty thatthey were. They who were in the ships, when they saw this greatoverthrow, fled to Denia.

XXI. Then the Cid and his people returned to the field and began toplunder the tents. And the spoil was so great that there was no end tothe riches, in gold and in silver, and in horses and arms, so that menknew not what to leave and what to take. And they found one tent whichhad been King Yucef's; never man saw so noble a thing as that tent was;and there were great riches therein, and there also did they find AlvarSalvadores, who had been made prisoner the yesterday, as ye have heard.Greatly did the Cid rejoice when he saw him alive and sound, and heordered his chains to be taken off; and then he left Alvar Fanez tolook to the spoil, and went into Valencia with a hundred knights. Hiswrinkled brow was seen, for he had taken off his helmet, and in thismanner he entered, upon Bavieca, sword in hand. Great joy had DonaXimena and her daughters, who were awaiting him, when they saw him comeriding in; and he stopt when he came to them, and said, Great honourhave I won for you, while you kept Valencia this day! God and theSaints have sent us goodly gain, upon your coming. Look, with a bloodysword, and a horse all sweat, this is the way that we conquer theMoors! Pray God that I may live yet awhile for your sakes, and youshall enter into great honour, and they shall kiss your hands. Then myCid alighted when he had said this, and the ladies knelt down beforehim, and kissed his hand, and wished him long life. Then they enteredthe Palace with him, and took their seats upon the precious benches.Wife Dona Ximena, said he, these damsels who have served you so well, Iwill give in marriage to these my vassals, and to every one of them twohundred marks of silver, that it may be known in Castille what theyhave got by their services. Your daughters'marriage will come in time.And they all rose and kissed his hand: and great was the joy in thePalace, and it was done according as the Cid had said.

XXII. Alvar Fanez this while was in the field writing and takingaccount of the spoil: but the tents and arms and precious garments wereso many that they cannot be told, and the horses were beyond allreckoning; they ran about the field, and there was no body to takethem, and the Moors of the land got something by that great overthrow.Nevertheless so many horses were taken that the Campeador had to hisshare of the good ones a thousand and five hundred. Well might theothers have good store when he had so many. And my Cid won in thisbattle from King Yucef, his good sword Tizona, which is to say, thefirebrand. The tent of the King of Morocco, which was supported by twopillars wrought with gold, he gave order not to be touched, for hewould send it to Alfonso the Castillian. The Bishop Don Hieronymo, thatperfect one with the shaven crown, he had his fill in that battle,fighting with both hands; no one could tell how many he slew. Greatbooty came to him, and moreover the Cid sent him the tithe of hisfifth. Glad were the Christian folk in Valencia for the great bootywhich they had gotten, and glad was Dona Ximena and her daughters, andglad were all those ladies who were married.

XXIII. King Yucef, after the pursuit was given over, and he saw that hemight come forth from the Castle, fled to Denia, and embarked in hisships, and returned to Morocco. And thinking every day how badly he hadsped, and how he had been conquered by so few, and how many of hispeople he had lost, he fell sick and died. But before he died hebesought his brother, who was called Bucar, that for the tie there wasbetween them, he would take vengeance for the dishonour which he hadreceived from the Cid Campeador before Valencia; and Bucar promised todo this, and swore also upon the Koran, which is the book of their law.And accordingly he came afterwards across the sea, with nine and twentyKings, as shall be related when the time comes.

XXIV. Then the Cid sent Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez with a present toKing Alfonso his Lord. And the present which he sent was two hundredhorses saddled and bridled, with each a sword hanging from thesaddle-bow: and also the noble tent which he had won from King Yucef ofMorocco. This present he gave, because the King had sent him his wifeand daughters when he asked for them, and because of the honour whichhe had done them, and that the King might not speak ill of him whocommanded in Valencia. Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez went their waytowards Castille, over sierras and mountains and waters; and they askedwhere the King was, and it was told them that he was at Valladolid, andthither they went. And when they drew nigh unto the city, they sent tolet him know of their coming, and to ask of him whether he thought itgood for them to come into the city unto him, or if he would come outto them, for they were a great company, and the present a full greatone, which he would see better without, than in the town. And the Kingthought this best, and he went to horse, and bade all the hidalgos whowere with him do the like. Now the Infantes of Carrion were there,Diego Gonzalez and Ferrando Gonzalez, the sons of Count Don Gonzalo.And they found the company of the Cid about half a league from thetown, and when the King saw how many they were, he blest himself, forthey seemed like a host. And Minaya and Pero Bermudez pricked on whenthey saw him, and came before him, and alighted, and knelt down, andkissed the ground and kissed both his feet; and he bade them rise andmount their horses, and would not hear them till they had mounted, andtaken their places one at his right hand, and the other at his left.And they said, Sir, the Cid commends himself to your grace as his liegeLord, and thanks you greatly for having sent him with such honour hiswife and daughters. And know. Sir, that since they arrived, he hathachieved a great victory over the Moors, and their King Yucef ofMorocco, the Miramamolin, who besieged him in Valencia with fiftythousand men. And he went out against them, and smote them, and hathsent you these two hundred horses from his fifth. Then Alvar Fanez gaveorder that the horses should be led forward. And this was the manner inwhich they came. The two hundred horses came first, and every one wasled by a child, and every one had a sword hanging from the saddle, onthe left side; and after them came the pages of all the knights incompany, carrying their spears, and then the company, and after them,an hundred couple with spears in rest. And when they had all past by,the King blest himself again, and he laughed and said that never had sogoodly a present been sent before to King of Spain by his vassal. AndAlvar Fanez said moreover, Sir, he hath sent you a tent, the noblestthat ever man saw, which he won in this battle: and the King gave orderthat the tent should be spread, and he alighted and went into it, heand all his people, and he was greatly pleased; and they all said thatthey had never seen so noble a tent as this; and the King said he hadwon many from the Moors, but never such as this. But albeit that allthe others were well pleased, Count Don Garcia was not so; and he andten of his lineage talked apart, and said that this which the Cid haddone was to their shame, for they hated the Cid in their hearts. AndKing Don Alfonso said, Thanks be to God and to Sir Saint Isidro ofLeon, these horses may do me good service; and he gave three of them toMinaya, and Pero Bermudez, and bade them chuse, and he ordered food andcloathing to be given them while they remained, and said that he wouldgive them compleat armour when they returned, such as was fit for themto appear in before my Cid. And they were lodged, and all things thatwere needful provided for them and their people.

XXV. When the Infantes of Carrion, Diego Gonzalez and FerrandoGonzalez, saw the noble present which the Cid had sent unto the King,and heard how his riches and power daily increased, and thought whathis wealth must needs be when he had given those horses out of thefifth of one battle, and moreover that he was Lord of Valencia: theyspake one with the other, and agreed, that if the Cid would give themhis daughters to wife, they should be well married, and become rich andhonourable. And they agreed together that they would talk with the Kingin private upon this matter. And they went presently to him, and said,Sir, we beseech you of your bounty to help us in a thing which will beto your honour; for we are your vassals, and the richer we are thebetter able shall we be to serve you. And the King asked of them whatit was they would have, and they then told him their desire. And theKing thought upon it awhile, and then came to them, and said, Infantes,this thing which you ask lies not in me, but in the Cid; for it is inhis power to marry his daughters, and peradventure he will not do it asyet. Nevertheless that he ye may not fail for want of my help, I willsend to tell him what ye wish. Then they kissed his hand for thisfavour. And the King sent for Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez, and wentapart with them, and praised the Cid, and thanked him for the good willwhich he had to do him service, and said that he had great desire tosee him. Say to him, he said, that I beseech him to come and meet me,for I would speak with him concerning something which is to his goodand honour. Diego and Ferrando, the Infantes of Carrion, have said untome that they would fain wed with his daughters, if it seemeth good tohim; and methinks this would be a good marriage. When Alvar Fanez andPero Bermudez heard this, they answered the King, and said, Certain weare, Sir, that neither in this, nor in anything else will the Cid doaught but what you, Sir, shall command or advise. When ye have yourmeeting ye will agree concerning it as is best. Then they kissed hishand, and took their leave.

XXVI. On the morrow the messengers of the Cid departed from Valladolid,and took their way towards Valencia; and when the Cid knew that theywere nigh at hand he went out to meet them, and when he saw them hewaxed joyful, and he embraced them, and asked what tidings of his LordAlfonso. And they told him how they had sped, and how greatly the Kingloved him; and when we departed, said they, he bade us beseech you tocome and meet him anywhere where you will appoint, for he desireth tospeak with you, concerning the marriage of your daughters with theInfantes of Carrion, if it should please you so to bestow them: now bywhat the King said it seemeth unto us that this marriage pleaseth him.And when the Cid heard this he became thoughtful, and he said to themafter awhile, What think ye of this marriage? And they answered him,Even as it shall please you. And he said to them, I was banished frommy own country, and was dishonoured, and with hard labour gained I whatI have got; and now I stand in the King's favour, and he asketh of memy daughters for the Infantes of Carrion. They are of high blood andfull orgullous, and I have no liking to this match; but if our Lord theKing adviseth it we can do no otherwise; we will talk of this, and Godsend it for the best. So they entered Valencia, and the Cid spake withDona Ximena touching this matter, and when she heard it it did notplease her; nevertheless she said, if the King thought it good theycould do no otherwise. Then the Cid gave order to write letters to theKing, saying, that he would meet the King as he commanded, and whateverthe King wished that he would do. And he sealed the letters well, andsent two knights with them. And when the King saw the letters he waswell pleased, and sent others to say that the time of their meetingshould be three weeks after he received these letters, and the placeappointed was upon the Tagus, which is a great river.

XXVII. Now began they to prepare on both sides for this meeting. He whoshould relate to you the great preparations, and the great noblenesswhich were made for the nonce, would have much to recount. Who ever sawin Castille so many a precious mule, and so many a good-going palfrey,and so many great horses, and so many goodly streamers set upon goodlyspears, and shields adorned with gold and with silver, and mantles, andskins, and rich sendals of Adria? The King sent great store of food tothe banks of the Tagus, where the place of meeting was appointed. Gladwere the Infantes of Carrion, and richly did they bedight themselves;some things they paid for, and some they went in debt for: great wastheir company, and with the King there were many Leonese and Galegos,and Castillians out of number. My Cid the Campeador made no tarriancein Valencia; he made ready for the meeting: there was many a greatmule, and many a palfrey, and many a good horse, and many a goodly suitof arms, cloaks, and mantles both of cloth and of peltry; ... great andlittle are all clad in colours. Alvar Fanez Minaya, and Pero Bermudez,and Martin Munoz, and Martin Antolinez that worthy Burgalese, and theBishop Don Hieronymo that good one with the shaven crown, and AlvarAlvarez, and Alvar Salvadores, and Muno Gustios that knight of prowess,and Galind Garcia of Aragon; all these and all the others made ready togo with the Cid. But he bade Alvar Salvadores and Galind Garcia and allthose who were under them, remain and look with heart and soul to thesafety of Valencia, and not open the gates of the Alcazar neither byday nor by night, for his wife and daughters were there, in whom he hadhis heart and soul, and the other ladies with them; he like a goodhusband gave order that not one of them should stir out of the Alcazartill he returned. Then they left Valencia and pricked on more thanapace; more than a thousand knights, all ready for war, were in thiscompany. All those great horses that paced so well and were so soft offoot, my Cid won; they were not given to him.

XXVIII. King Don Alfonso arrived first by one day at the place ofmeeting, and when he heard that the Cid was at hand, he went out withall his honourable men, more than a long league to meet him. When hewho was born in a good hour had his eye upon the King, he bade hiscompany halt, and with fifteen of the knights whom he loved best healighted, and put his hands and his knees to the ground, and took theherbs of the field between his teeth, as if he would have eaten them,weeping for great joy; ... thus did he know how to humble himselfbefore Alfonso his Lord; and in this manner he approached his feet andwould have kissed them. And the King drew back and said, The hand, CidCampeador, not the foot! And the Cid drew nigh upon his knees andbesought grace, saying, In this guise grant me your love, so that allpresent may hear. And the King said that he forgave him, and grantedhim his love with his heart and soul. And the Cid kissed both hishands, being still upon his knees; and the King embraced him, and gavehim the kiss of peace. Well pleased were all they who beheld this, saveonly Alvar Diez and Garcia Ordonez, for they did not love the Cid. Thenwent they all toward the town, the King and the Cid talking together bythe way. And the Cid asked the King to eat with him, and the Kinganswered, Not so, for ye are not prepared; we arrived yesterday, and yebut now. Eat you and your company therefore with me, for we have madeready. To-day, Cid Campeador, you are my guest, and to-morrow we willdo as pleases you. Now came the Infantes of Carrion up and humbledthemselves before the Cid, and he received them well, and they promisedto do him service. And the company of the Cid came up, and kissed theKing's hand. So they alighted and went to meat; and the King said untothe Cid that he should eat with him at his table; howbeit he would not.And when the King saw that he would not take his seat with him, heordered a high table to be placed for the Cid and for Count DonGonzalo, the father of the Infantes of Carrion. All the while that theyate the King could never look enough at the Cid, and he marvelledgreatly at his beard, that it had grown to such length. And when theyhad eaten they were merry, and took their pleasure. And on the morrowthe King and all they who went with him to this meeting, ate with theCid, and so well did he prepare for them that all were full joyful, andagreed in one thing, that they had not eaten better for three years.There was not a man there who did not eat upon silver, and the King andthe chief persons ate upon dishes and trenchers of gold. And when theInfantes saw this they had the marriage more at heart than before.

XXIX. On the morrow as soon as it was day, the Bishop Don Hieronymosung mass before the King, in the oratory of the Cid; and when it wasover, the King said before all who were there assembled, Counts andInfanzones and knights, hear what I shall say unto the Cid. CidRuydiez, the reason wherefore I sent for you to this meeting wastwo-fold: first, that I might see you, which I greatly desired, for Ilove you much because of the many and great services which you havedone me, albeit that at one time I was wroth against you and banishedyou from the land. But you so demeaned yourself that you never did medisservice, but contrariwise, great service both to God and to me, andhave won Valencia, and enlarged Christendom, wherefore I am bound toshow favour unto you and to love you alway. The second reason was, thatI might ask you for your two daughters Dona Elvira and Dona Sol, thatyou would give them in marriage to the Infantes of Carrion, for thismethinks would be a fit marriage, and to your honour and good. When theCid heard this, he was in a manner bound to consent, having them thusdemanded from him; and he answered and said, Sir, my daughters are oftender years and if it might please you, they are yet too young formarriage. I do not say this as if the Infantes of Carrion were notworthy to match with them, and with better than they. And the King badehim make no excuse, saying, that he should esteem himself well servedif he gave his consent. Then the Cid said, Sir, I begat them, and yougive them in marriage; both I and they are yours, ... give them to whomyou please, and I am pleased therewith. When the King heard this he waswell pleased, and he bade the Infantes kiss the hand of the CidCampeador, and incontinently they changed swords before the King, andthey did homage to him, as sons-in-law to their father-in-law. Then theKing turned to the Cid, and said, I thank thee, Ruydiez, that thou hastgiven me thy daughters for the Infantes of Carrion: and here I givethem to the Infantes to be their brides; I give them and not you, and Ipray God that it may please him, and that you also may have great joyherein. The Infantes I put into your hands; they will go with you, andI shall return from hence, and I order that three hundred marks ofsilver be given to them for their marriage, and they and your daughterswill all be your children.

XXX. Eight days this meeting lasted; the one day they dined with theKing, and the other with the Cid. Then was it appointed that on themorrow at sunrise every one should depart to his own home. My Cid thenbegan to give to every one who would take his gifts, many a great mule,and many a good palfrey, and many a rich garment, ... every one hadwhat he asked, ... he said no to none. Threescore horses did my Cidgive away in gifts; well pleased were all they who went to thatmeeting. And now they were about to separate, for it was night. TheKing took the Infantes by the hand, and delivered them into the powerof my Cid the Campeador, ... See here your sons: from this day,Campeador, you will know what to make of them. And the Cid answered,Sir, may it please you, seeing it is you who have made this marriagefor my daughters, to appoint some one to whom I may deliver them, andwho may give them, as from your hand, to the Infantes. And the Kingcalled for Alvar Fanez Minaya, and said. You are sib to the damsels; Icommand you, when you come to Valencia, to take them with your ownhands, and give them to the Infantes, as I should do if that I werethere present: and be you the bride's father. Then said the Cid, Sir,you must accept something from me at this meeting. I bring for youtwenty palfreys, these that are gaily trapped, and thirty horses fleetof foot, these that are well caparisoned, ... take them, and I kissyour hand. Greatly have you bound me, said King Don Alfonso; I receivethis gift, and God and all Saints grant that it may well be requited;if I live you shall have something from me; Then my Cid sprung up uponhis horse Bavieca, and he said, Here I say before my Lord the King,that if any will go with me to the wedding, I think they will getsomething by it! and he besought the King that he would let as many gowith him as were so minded; and the king licensed them accordingly. Andwhen they were about to part, the company that went with the Cid wasgreater than that which returned with the King. And the Cid kissed theKing's hand and dispeeded himself with his favour, and the Kingreturned to Castille.

XXXI. My Cid went his way toward Valencia, and he appointed PeroBermudez and Muno Gustios, than whom there were no better two in allhis household, to keep company with the Infantes of Carrion and betheir guard, and he bade them spy out what their conditions were; andthis they soon found out. The Count Don Suero Gonzalez went with theInfantes; he was their father's brother, and had been their _Ayo_ andbred them up, and badly had he trained them, for he was a man of greatwords, good of tongue, and of nothing else good; and full scornful andorgullous had he made them, so that the Cid was little pleased withthem, and would willingly have broken off the marriage; but he couldnot, seeing that the King had made it. And when they reached Valencia,the Cid lodged the Infantes in the suburb of Alcudia, where he hadformerly lodged himself; and all the company who were come to themarriage were quartered with them. And he went to the Alcazar.

XXXII. On the morrow the Cid mounted his horse and rode into Alcudia,and brought the Infantes his sons-in-law from thence with him into thecity to the Alcazar, that they might see their brides Dona Elvira andDona Sol. Dona Ximena had her daughters ready to receive them in fullnoble garments, for since midnight they had done nothing but prink andprank themselves. Full richly was the Alcazar set out that day, withhangings both above and below, purple and samite, and rich cloth. TheCid entered, between the Infantes, and all that noble company went inafter them; and they went into the chief hall of the Alcazar, whereDona Ximena was with her daughters: and when they saw the Cid and theInfantes, they rose up and welcomed them right well. And the Cid tookhis seat upon his bench with one of the Infantes on one side of him,and one on the other, and the other honourable men seated themselves onthe _estrados_, each in the place where he ought to be, and whichbelonged to him; and they remained awhile silent. Then the Cid rose andcalled for Alvar Fanez and said, Thou knowest what my Lord the Kingcommanded; fulfil now his bidding, ... take thy cousins, and deliverthem to the Infantes, for it is the King who gives them in marriage,and not I. And Alvar Fanez arose and took the damsels one in each hand,and delivered them to the Infantes, saying. Diego Gonzalez, andFerrando Gonzalez, I deliver unto you these damsels, the daughters ofthe Cid Campeador, by command of King Don Alfonso my Lord, even as hecommanded. Receive you them as your equal helpmates, as the law ofChrist enjoineth. And the Infantes took each his bride by the hand, andwent to the Cid and kissed his hand, and the same did they to theirmother Dona Ximena Gomez: and the Bishop Don Hieronymo espoused them,and they exchanged rings. When this was done, the Cid went and seatedhimself on the _estrado_ with the ladies, he and Dona Ximena in themiddle, and beside him he placed Dona Elvira his eldest daughter, andby her, her spouse the Infante Diego Gonzalez; and Dona Sol was seatedon the other side, by her mother, and the Infante Ferrando by her. Andwhen they had solaced themselves awhile, the Cid said that now theywould go eat, and that the marriage should be performed on the morrow,and he besought and commanded the Bishop Don Hieronymo to perform it insuch a manner that no cost should be spared, but that every thingshould be done so compleatly, that they who came from Castille to thiswedding might alway have something to tell of.

XXXIII. On the morrow they went to the Church of St. Mary, and therethe Bishop Don Hieronymo sate awaiting them, and he blest them all fourat the altar. Who can tell the great nobleness which the Cid displayedat that wedding, the feasts and the bull-fights, and the throwing atthe target, and the throwing canes, and how many joculars were there,and all the sports which are proper at such weddings? As soon as theycame out of Church they took horse and rode to the Glera; three timesdid the Cid change his horse that day; seven targets were set up on themorrow, and before they went to dinner all seven were broken. Fifteendays did the feasts at this wedding continue; then all they who hadcome there to do honour to the Cid took leave of him and of theInfantes. Who can tell the great and noble gifts which the Cid gave tothem, both to great and little, each according to his quality, vesselsof gold and silver, rich cloth, cloaks, furs, horses, and money beyondall reckoning, so that all were well pleased. And when it was told inCastille with what gifts they who had been to the wedding werereturned, many were they who repented that they had not gone there.

BOOK VIII.

I. Now the history relateth that Gilbert, a sage who wrote the historyof the Moorish Kings who reigned in Africa, saith, that Bucarremembering the oath which he had made to his brother King Yucef, howhe would take vengeance for him for the dishonour which he had receivedfrom the Cid Ruydiez before Valencia, ordered proclamation to be madethroughout all the dominions of his father, and gathered together sogreat a power of Moors, that among the Captains of his host there weretwenty and nine Kings; this he could well do, for his father wasMiramamolin, which is as much as to say Emperor. And when he hadgathered together this mighty host, he entered into his ships and crostthe sea, and came unto the port of Valencia, and what there befell himwith the Cid the history shall relate in due time.

II. Two years after their marriage did the Infantes of Carrion sojournin Valencia in peace and pleasure, to their own great contentment, andtheir uncle Suero Gonzalez with them; and at the end of those twoyears, there came to pass a great misadventure, by reason of which theyfell out with the Cid, in whom there was no fault. There was a lion inthe house of the Cid, who had grown a large one, and a strong, and wasfull nimble: three men had the keeping of this lion, and they kept himin a den which was in a court yard, high up in the palace; and whenthey cleansed the court they were wont to shut him up in his den, andafterward to open the door that he might come out and eat: the Cid kepthim for his pastime, that he might take pleasure with him when he wasminded so to do. Now it was the custom of the Cid to dine every daywith his company, and after he had dined, he was wont to sleep awhileupon his seat. And one day when he had dined there came a man and toldhim that a great fleet was arrived in the port of Valencia, whereinthere was a great power of the Moors, whom King Bucar had brought over,the son of the Miramamolin of Morocco. And when the Cid heard this, hisheart rejoiced and he was glad, for it was nigh three years since hehad had a battle with the Moors. Incontinently he ordered a signal tobe made that all the honourable men who were in the city shouldassemble together. And when they were all assembled in the Alcazar andhis sons-in-law with them, the Cid told them the news, and took counselwith them in what manner they should go out against this great power ofthe Moors. And when they had taken counsel the Cid went to sleep uponhis seat, and the Infantes and the others sate playing at tables andchess. Now at this time the men who were keepers of the lion werecleaning the court, and when they heard the cry that the Moors werecoming, they opened the den, and came down into the palace where theCid was, and left the door of the court open. And when the lion had atehis meat and saw that the door was open he went out of the court andcame down into the palace, even into the hall where they all were; andwhen they who were there saw him, there was a great stir among them;but the Infantes of Carrion showed greater cowardice than all the rest.Ferrando Gonzalez having no shame, neither for the Cid nor for theothers who were present, crept under the seat whereon the Cid wassleeping, and in his haste he burst his mantle and his doublet also atthe shoulders. And Diego Gonzalez, the other, ran to a postern door,crying, I shall never see Carrion again! this door opened upon a courtyard where there was a wine press, and he jumped out, and by reason ofthe great height could not keep on his feet, but fell among the leesand defiled himself therewith. And all the others who were in the hallwrapt their cloaks around their arms, and stood round about the seatwhereon the Cid was sleeping, that they might defend him. The noisewhich they made awakened the Cid, and he saw the lion coming towardshim, and he lifted up his hand and said, What is this?... and the lionhearing his voice stood still; and he rose up and took him by the mane,as if he had been a gentle mastiff, and led him back to the court wherehe was before, and ordered his keepers to look better to him for thetime to come. And when he had done this he returned to the hall andtook his seat again; and all they who beheld it were greatlyastonished.

III. After some time Ferrando Gonzalez crept from under the seat wherehe had hidden himself, and he came out with a pale face, not having yetlost his fear, and his brother Diego got from among the lees: and whenthey who were present saw them in this plight you never saw such sportas they made; but my Cid forbade their laughter. And Diego went out towash himself and change his garments, and he sent to call his brotherforth, and they took counsel together in secret, and said to eachother, Lo now, what great dishonour this Ruydiez our father-in-law hathdone us, for he let this lion loose for the nonce, to put us to shame.But in an evil day were we born if we do not revenge this upon hisdaughters. Badly were we matched with them, and now for the after-feasthe hath made this mockery of us! But we must keep secret this which webear in mind, and not let him wit that we are wroth against him, forotherwise he would not let us depart from hence, neither give us ourwives to take with us, and he would take from us the swords Colada andTizona which he gave us.... We will therefore turn this thing intomerriment before him and his people, to the end that they may notsuspect what we have at heart. While they were thus devising theiruncle Suero Gonzalez came in, and they told him of their intent. And hecounselled them to keep their wrath secret, as they said, till thisstir of the Moors from beyond sea was over, and then they should demandtheir wives of the Cid that they might take them to their own country;This, said he, the Cid can have no reason to deny, neither fordetaining ye longer with him, and when ye are got away far out of hisland, then may ye do what ye will with his daughters, and ill will yedo if ye know not how to revenge yourselves; so shall ye remove thedishonour from yourselves, and cast it upon him and his children. Thiswicked counsel did Suero Gonzalez give unto his nephews, which he mighthave well excused giving, and then both he and they would not have comeoff so badly as the history will in due season relate.

IV. After Suero Gonzalez and his nephews had taken this evil counseltogether, they went to their lodging, and on the morrow they went tothe Alcazar and came to the Cid where he was preparing for business.And when they drew nigh, the Cid rose and welcomed them right well, andthey carried a good countenance towards him, and made sport of what hadhappened about the lion. And the Cid began to give order in what arraythey should go out to battle. While they were in this discourse, agreat cry was heard in the town and a great tumult, and this wasbecause King Bucar was come with his great power into the place whichis called the Campo del Quarto, which is a league from Valencia, andthere he was pitching his tents and when this was done the camp made amighty show, for the history saith that there were full five thousandpavilions, besides common tents. And when the Cid heard this, he tookboth his sons-in-law and Suero Gonzalez with them, and went upon thehighest tower of the Alcazar, and showed them the great power whichKing Bucar of Morocco had brought; and when he beheld this great powerhe began to laugh and was exceeding glad: but Suero Gonzalez and hisnephews were in great fear: howbeit they would not let it be seen. Andwhen they came down from the tower the Cid went foremost, and theytarried behind, and said, If we go into this battle we shall neverreturn to Carrion. Now it so chanced that Muno Gustios heard them, andhe told it to the Cid, and it grieved the Cid at heart; but hepresently made sport of it, and turned to his sons-in-law, and said,You my sons shall remain in Valencia and guard the town, and we who areused to this business will go out to battle; and they when they heardthis were ashamed, for they weened that some one had overheard whatthey said; and they made answer, God forefend, Cid, that we shouldabide in Valencia! we will go with you to the work, and protect yourbody as if we were your sons, and you were the Count Don Gonzalo Gomezour father. And the Cid was well pleased hearing them say this.

V. While they were thus saying, word was brought to the Cid that therewas a messenger from King Bucar at the gate of the town, who would fainspeak with him. The name of this Moor was Ximen de Algezira, and theCid gave order that he should be admitted. Now the history saith, Godhad given such grace to my Cid that never Moor beheld his face withouthaving great fear of him; and this Ximen began to gaze upon hiscountenance, and said nothing, for he could not speak. And so great wasthe fear which came upon him that the Cid perceived it, and bade himtake courage and deliver the bidding of his Lord, without fear orshame, for he was a messenger. And when the Moor heard this he laidaside his fear, and recovered heart, and delivered his bidding fully,after this wise. Sir Cid Campeador, King Bucar my Lord hath sent me tothee saying, great wrong hast thou done him in holding Valencia againsthim, which belonged to his forefathers; and moreover thou hastdiscomfited his brother King Yucef. And now he is come against theewith twenty and nine Kings, to take vengeance for his brother, and towin Valencia from thee in spite of thee and of all who are with thee.Nevertheless, King Bucar saith, that inasmuch as he hath heard thatthou art a wise man and of good understanding, he will show favour untothee, and let thee leave Valencia with all the lands thereof, and gointo Castille, and take with thee all that is thine. And if thou wiltnot do this he sends to say that he will fight against Valencia, andtake thee and thy wife and thy daughters, and torment thee grievously,in such manner that all Christians who shall hear tell of it shall talkthereof for evermore. This is the bidding of my Lord King Bucar.

VI. When the Cid heard this, notwithstanding he was wroth at heart, hewould not manifest it, but made answer in few words and said, Go tellthy Lord King Bucar I will not give him up Valencia: great labour did Iendure in winning it, and to no man am I beholding for it in the world,save only to my Lord Jesus Christ, and to my kinsmen and friends andvassals who aided me to win it. Tell him that I am not a man to bebesieged, and when he does not expect it I will give him battle in thefield; and would that even as he has brought with him twenty and nineKings, so he had brought all the Moors of all Pagandom, for with themercy of God in which I trust, I should think to conquer them all. Bearthis answer to your Lord, and come here no more with messages, neitheron this account nor on any other. When Ximen de Algezira, the Moorishmessenger, heard this, he left Valencia, and went unto his Lord andtold him before the twenty and nine Kings all that the Cid had said.And they were astonished at the brave words of the Cid, for they didnot think that he would have resisted, so great was their power,neither did they ween that he would so soon come out to battle. Andthey began to give order to set their siege round about Valencia, asthe history, and as Gilbert also relateth. This King Bucar and hisbrother King Yucef were kinsmen of Alimaymon, who had been King ofToledo and Valencia, and this was the reason why Bucar said thatValencia had belonged to his forefathers.

VII. No sooner had Ximen, the messenger of King Bucar, left the city,than the Cid ordered the bell to be struck, at the sound of which allthe men at arms in Valencia were to gather together. Incontinently theyall assembled before the Cid, and he told them all to be ready fullearly on the morrow to go out and give battle to the Moors. And theymade answer with one accord that they were well pleased to do this, forthey trusted in God and in his good fortune that they should overcomethem. On the morrow therefore at the first cock-crow, they confessedand communicated, as was their custom, and before the morning brakethey went forth from Valencia. And when they had got through the narrowpasses among the gardens, the Cid set his army in array. The van hegave to Alvar Fanez Minaya, and to Pero Bermudez who bore his banner;and he gave them five hundred horsemen, and a thousand and five hundredmen a-foot. In the right wing was that honourable one with the shavencrown, Don Hieronymo the Bishop, with the like number both of horse andfoot; and in the left Martin Antolinez of Burgos and Alvar Salvadores,with as many more. The Cid came in the rear with a thousand horsemenall in coats of mail, and two thousand five hundred men a-foot. And inthis array they proceeded till they came in sight of the Moors. As soonas the Cid saw their tents he ordered his men to slacken their pace,and got upon his horse Bavieca, and put himself in the front before allhis army, and his sons-in-law the Infantes of Carrion advancedthemselves with him. Then the Bishop Don Hieronymo came to the Cid andsaid, This day have I said the mass of the Holy Trinity before you, Ileft my own country and came to seek you, for the desire I had to killsome Moors, and to do honour to my order and to my own hands. Now wouldI be the foremost in this business; I have my pennon and my armorialbearing, and will employ them by God's help, that my heart may rejoice.And my Cid, if you do not for the love of me grant this I will go myways from you. But the Cid bade him do his pleasure, saying that itwould please him also. And then the great multitude of the Moors beganto come out of their tents, and they formed their battle in haste, andcame against the Christians, with the sound of trumpets and tambours,and with a great uproar; and as they came out upon the alarm, notexpecting that the Cid would come against them so soon, they did notadvance in order, as King Bucar had commanded. And when the Cid sawthis, he ordered his banner to be advanced, and bade his people lay onmanfully. The Bishop Don Hieronynio he pricked forward; two Moors heslew with the two first thrusts of the lance; the haft broke, and helaid hand on his sword, God,... how well the Bishop fought! two he slewwith the lance and five with the sword; the Moors came round about himand laid on load of blows, but they could not pierce his arms. He whowas born in happy hour had his eyes upon him, and he took his shieldand placed it before him, and lowered his lance, and gave Bavieca thespur, that good horse. With heart and soul he went at them, and madehis way into their first battle; seven the Campeador smote down, andfour he slew. In short time they joined battle in such sort that manywere slain and many overthrown, on one side and on the other, and sogreat was the din of strokes and of tambours that none could hear whatanother said; and they smote away cruelly, without rest or respite.

VIII. Now it came to pass in this battle that the Infante DiegoGonzalez encountered a Moor of Africa who was of great stature and fullvaliant withal, and this Moor came fiercely against him; and when theInfante saw how fiercely he was coming, he turned his back and fled. Noone beheld this but Felez Munoz the nephew of the Cid, who was asquire; he set himself against the Moor with his lance under his arm,and gave him such a thrust in the breast, that the streamer of thelance came out all red with blood between his shoulders, and he down'dwith the dead man and took his horse by the bridle, and began to callthe Infante Diego Gonzalez. When the Infante heard himself called byhis name he turned his head to see who called him, and when he saw thatit was his cousin Felez Munoz, he turned and awaited him. And FelezMunoz said, Take this horse, cousin Diego Gonzalez, and say that youkilled the Moor; nobody shall ever know otherwise from me, unless yougive just cause. While they were talking the Cid came up, after anotherMoorish knight, whom he reached just as he came up to them, and smotehim with his sword upon the head, so that he split it down to theteeth. When Felez Munoz saw the Cid, he said, Sir, your son-in-law DonDiego Gonzalez hath great desire to serve and help you in this day'swork, and he hath just slain a Moor from whom he hath won this horse:and this pleased the Cid much, for he weened that it was true. And thenthey all three advanced themselves toward the midst of the battle,giving great strokes, and smiting and slaying. Who can tell howmarvellously the Bishop Don Hieronymo behaved himself in this battle,and how well all the rest behaved, each in his way, and above all, theCid Campeador, as the greatest and best of all! nevertheless the powerof the Moors was so great that they could not drive them to flight, andthe business was upon the balance even till the hour of nones. Manywere the Christians who died that day among the foot-soldiers; and thedead, Moors and Christians together, were so many, that the horsescould scant move among their bodies. But after the hour of nones theCid and his people smote the Moors so sorely that they could no longerstand against them, and it pleased God and the good fortune of the Cidthat they turned their backs; and the Christians followed, hewing themdown, and smiting and slaying; ana they tarried not to lay hands onthose whom they felled, but went on in the pursuit as fast as theycould. Then might you have seen cords broken, and stakes plucked up asthe Christians came to the tents; my Cid's people drove King Bucar'sthrough their camp, and many an arm with its sleeve-mail was lopt off,and many a head with its helmet fell to the ground; and horses ranabout on all sides without riders. Seven full miles did the pursuitcontinue. And while they were thus following their flight the Cid seteyes upon King Bucar, and made at him to strike him with the sword; andthe Moorish King knew him when he saw him coming; Turn this way Bucar,cried the Campeador, you who came from beyond sea, to see the Cid withthe long beard. We must greet each other and cut out a friendship! Godconfound such friendship, cried King Bucar, and turned his bridle, andbegan to fly towards the sea, and the Cid after him, having greatdesire to reach him. But King Bucar had a good horse and a fresh, andthe Cid went spurring Bavieca who had had hard work that day, and hecame near his back; and when they were nigh unto the ships, and the Cidsaw that he could not reach him, he darted his sword at him, and struckhim between the shoulders; and King Bucar being badly wounded rode intothe sea, and got to a boat, and the Cid alighted and picked up hissword. And his people came up, hewing down the Moors before them, andthe Moors in their fear of death ran into the sea, so that twice asmany died in the water as in the battle; nevertheless so many were theywho were slain in the field, that they were thought to be seventeenthousand persons and upward: but a greater number died in the sea. Andso many were they who were taken prisoner, that it was a wonder; and ofthe twenty and nine Kings who came with King Bucar, seventeen wereslain. And when the Cid saw that of the Moors some had gotten to theships and the others were slain or taken, he returned toward theirtents.

IX. My Cid Ruydiez the Campeador returned from the slaughter; the hoodof his mail was thrown back, and the coif upon his head bore the marksof it. And when he saw his sons-in-law the Infantes of Carrion, herejoiced over them, and said to them to do them honour, Come here, mysons, for by your help we have conquered in this battle. PresentlyAlvar Fanez came up: the shield which hung from his neck was allbattered: more than twenty Moors had he slain, and the blood wasrunning from his wrist to his elbow. Thanks be to God, said he, and tothe Father who is on high, and to you, Cid, we have won the day. Allthese spoils are yours and your vassals. Then they spoiled the field,where they found great riches in gold, and in silver, and in pearls,and in precious stones, and in sumptuous tents, and in horses, and inoxen, which were so many that it was a wonder. The poorest man amongthe Christians was made full rich that day. So great was the spoil thatsix hundred horses fell to the Cid as his fifth, beside sumpter beastsand camels, and twelve hundred prisoners; and of the other things whichwere taken no man can give account, nor of the treasure which the Cidwon that day in the Campo del Quarto. God be praised! said theCampeador...once I was poor, but now am I rich in lands and inpossessions, and in gold and in honour. And Moors and Christians bothfear me. Even in Morocco, among their Mosques, do they fear least Ishould set upon them some night. Let them fear it! I shall not go toseek them, but here will I be in Valencia, and by God's help they shallpay me tribute. Great joy was made in Valencia for this victory, andgreat was the joy of the Infantes of Carrion; five thousand marks cameto them for their portion of the spoil. And when they saw themselves sorich, they and their uncle Suero Gonzalez took counsel together, andconfirmed the wicked resolution which they had taken.

X. One day the companions of the Cid were talking before him of thisvictory, and they were saying who were the young knights that haddemeaned themselves well in the battle and in the pursuit, and who hadnot; but no mention was made of the Infantes; for though some therewere who whispered to each other concerning them, none would speak illof them before the Cid. And the Infantes saw this, and took counselwith their uncle, who ought not to have given them the evil counselthat he did, and they determined forthwith to put their wicked designin execution. So they went before the Cid, and Ferrando Gonzalez,having enjoined silence, began to say thus. Cid, thou knowest well thegood tie which there is between thee and us, for we hold thee in theplace of a father, and thou didst receive us as thy sons on the daywhen thou gavest us thy daughters to be our wives; and from that day wehave alway abode with thee, and have alway endeavoured to do that whichwas to thy service; and if we have at any time failed therein it hathnot been wilfully, but for lack of better understanding. Now inasmuchas it is long time since we departed from Castille, from our father andfrom our mother, and because neither we know how it fares with them,nor they how it fares with us, we would now, if you and Dona Ximenashould so think good, return unto them, and take our wives with us: soshall our father and our mother and our kinsmen see how honourably weare mated, and how greatly to our profit, and our wives shall be put inpossession of the towns which we have given them for their dower, andshall see what is to be the inheritance of the children whom they mayhave. And whensoever you shall call upon us, we will be ready to comeand do you service. Then the Cid made answer, weening that this wasspoken without deceit, My sons, I am troubled at what ye say, for whenye take away my daughters ye take my very heart-strings: nevertheless,it is fitting that ye do as ye have said. Go when ye will, and I willgive unto you such gifts that it shall be known in Gallicia and inCastille and in Leon, with what riches I have sent my sons-in-law home.

XI. When the Cid had made this reply, he rose from his seat and went toDona Ximena his wife, and spake with her and with Alvar Fanez, and toldthem what had passed with his sons-in-law, and what answer he hadgiven. Greatly was Dona Ximena troubled at this, and Alvar Fanez also,that he had consented to what they asked; and she said, I do not thinkit is wisely done to let them take our daughters from us, and carrythem into another country; for these our sons-in-law are traitorous andfalse at heart, and if I areed them right they will do some dishonourto our daughters, when there will be none there to call them toaccount. And Alvar Fanez was of the same mind; but the Cid wasdispleased at this, and marvelled greatly at what they said; and hebade them speak no more thereof, for God would not let it beso, ... neither were the Infantes of such a race as that they should dothis; neither, quoth he, would it come into their minds to do it, ifonly because our Lord King Don Alfonso was he who made the marriage;but if the Devil should tempt them, and they should commit thiswickedness, dearly would it cost them!

XII. So the Infantes of Carrion made ready for their departure, andthere was a great stir in Valencia. And the two sisters Dona Elvira andDona Sol, came and knelt before the Cid and before Dona Ximena theirmother, and said, You send us to the lands of Carrion, and we mustfulfil your command: now then give us your blessing, and let us havesome of your people with us in Carrion, we beseech you. And the Cidembraced them and kissed them, and the mother kissed them and embracedthem twice as much, and they gave them their blessing, and theirdaughters kissed their hands. And the Cid gave unto his sons-in-lawgreat store of cloth of gold, and of serge, and of wool, and an hundredhorses bridled and saddled, and an hundred mules with all theirtrappings, and ten cups of gold, and an hundred vessels of silver, andsix hundred marks of silver in dishes and trenchers and other things.When all this was done they took their departure and went out ofValencia, and the Cid rode out a long league with them. He looked atthe birds, and the augury was bad, and he thought that these marriageswould not be without some evil. And his heart smote him, and he beganto think on what Dona Ximena had said, and to fear lest evil shouldbefall him from these sons-in-law, for the manner of their speech wasnot as it was wont to be. Where art thou my nephew, where art thouFelez Munoz? thou art the cousin of my daughters, said he, both inheart and in soul. Go with them even unto Carrion, and see thepossessions which are given them, and come back with tidings thereofAnd Felez Munoz said that he would do this. And the Cid bade him salutethe Moor Abengalvon in his name, with whom they should tarry a night atMolina, and bid him do service unto his daughters, and his sons-in-law,and accompany them as far as Medina; and for all that he shall do; saidthe Cid, I will give him good guerdon. And when the ladies came to taketheir leave of their father the Cid, and of their mother Dona Ximena,great were the lamentations on both sides, as if their hearts haddivined the evil which was to come; and the Cid strove to comfort them,saying, that he should alway think of them, and would maintain them ingood estate: and he gave them his blessing and turned back towardValencia, and they went their way with their husbands, and that partingwas like plucking the nail from the flesh.

XIII. So the Infantes of Carrion went their way, by the Campo delQuarto to Chiva, and to Bonilla, and to Requena, and to Campo-Robres,and they took up their lodging at Villa Taxo. And on the morrow theytook the road to Amaja, and leaving it on the right came to Adamuz, andpassed by Colcha, and rested at Quintana. And when Abengalvon knew thatthe daughters of the Cid were coming, he went out joyfully from Molinato meet them, and pitched tents for them in the field, and had foodbrought there in abundance. God, how well he served them! and on themorrow the Moor gave full rich and noble gifts to the daughters of hisLord the Cid, and to each of the Infantes he gave a goodly horse. Andhe took horse himself and rode on with them, having two hundred knightsin his company. They crossed the mountains of Luzon and passedArbuxuelo, and came to Salon, and the Moor lodged them in the placewhich is called Ansarera; all this he did for the love of the CidCampeador. Now the Infantes seeing the riches which this Moor had withhim, took counsel together for treason, and said, Lo now if we couldslay this Moor Abengalvon, we should possess all these riches as safelyas if we were in Carrion, and the Cid could never take vengeance. And aMoor who understood the Latin of the country, heard them and knew whatthey said, and he went to Abengalvon, and said unto him, _Acaiaz_, thatis to say, Sire, take heed, for I heard the Infantes of Carrionplotting to kill thee. Abengalvon the Moor was a bold Baron, and whenthis was told him, he went with his two hundred men before theInfantes, and what he said to them did not please them. Infantes ofCarrion, he said, tell me, what have I done? I have served ye withoutguile, and ye have taken counsel for my death. If it were not for thesake of my Cid, never should you reach Carrion! I would carry back hisdaughters to the loyal Campeador, and so deal with you that it shouldbe talked of over the whole world. But I leave ye for traitors as yeare. Dona Elvira and Dona Sol, I go with your favour. God grant thatthis marriage may please your father! Having said this the good Moorreturned to Molina.

XIV. They went on by Valdespino, and by Parra, and Berrocal, and Valde Endrinas, and they left Madina Celi on the right, and crost theplain of Barahona, and past near Berlanga; and they crost the Douro bya ford below the town, and rode on and came into the Oak-wood ofCorpes. The mountains were high, and the trees thick and lofty, andthere were wild beasts in that place. And they came to a green lawn inthe midst of that oak forest, where there was a fountain of clearwater, and there the Infantes gave order that their tents should bepitched; and they passed the night there, making show of love to theirwives, which they badly fulfilled when the sun was risen, for this wasthe place where they thought to put them to shame. Early in the morningthey ordered the sumpter beasts to be laden, and the tent struck, andthey sent all their company on, so that none remained with them,neither man nor woman, but they and their wives were left alone thatthey might disport with them at pleasure. And Dona Elvira said to herhusband, Why wouldst thou that we should remain alone in this place?And he said, Hold thy peace, and thou shall see! And the Infantes toreaway the mantles from off their wives, and the garments which theywore, save only their inner garment, and they held them by the hair oftheir head with one hand, and with the other took the girths of theirhorses. And the women said, Don Diego and Don Ferrando, ye have strongswords and of sharp edge; the one is called Colado and the otherTizona; cut off our heads and we shall become martyrs! But set not thisevil example upon us, for whatever shame ye do unto us shall be to yourown dishonour. But the Infantes heeded not what they said, and heatthem cruelly with the saddle-girths, and kicked them with their spurs,so that their garments were torn, and stained with blood. Oh, if theCid Campeador had come upon them at that hour! And the women cried out,and called upon God and Holy Mary to have mercy upon them; but the morethey cried, the more cruelly did those Infantes beat and kick them,till they were covered with blood, and swooned away. Then the Infantestook their mantles and their cloaks, and their furs of ermine and othergarments, and left them for dead, saying, Lie there, daughters of theCid of Bivar, for it is not fitting that ye should be our wives, northat ye should have your dower in the lands of Carrion! We shall seehow your father will avenge you, and we have now avenged ourselves forthe shame he did us with the Lion. And they rode away as they saidthis, leaving them to the mountain birds and to the beasts of theforest. Oh if the Cid Campeador had come upon them at that hour! Andthe Infantes rode on glorying in what they had done, for they said thatthe daughters of the Cid were worthy to be their harlots, but not theirwives.

XV. When the Infantes, before they committed this great cruelty,ordered their company to ride forward, Felez Munoz the nephew of theCid, rode on with the rest: but this order nothing pleased him, and hewas troubled at heart, insomuch that he went aside from his companions,and struck into the forest, and there waited privily till he should seehis cousins come, or learn what the Infantes had done to them.Presently he saw the Infantes, and heard what they said to each other.Certes if they had espied him he could not have escaped death. But theypricked on not seeing him, and he rode back to the fountain, and therehe found the women lying senseless, and in such plight as ye haveheard. And he made great lamentation over them, saying, Never can itplease God that ye my cousins should receive such dishonour! God andSt. Mary give them who have done this an evil guerdon! for ye neverdeserved this, neither are ye of a race to deserve that this or anyother evil should betide ye! By this time the women began to come tothemselves, but they could not speak, for their hearts were breaking.And Felez Munoz called out to them, Cousins! Cousins! Dona Elvira! DonaSol! for the love of God rouse yourselves that we may get away beforenight comes, or the wild beasts will devour us! and they came tothemselves and began to open their eyes, and saw that he who spake tothem was Felez Munoz; and he said to them, For the love of God takeheart and let us be gone; for the Infantes will soon seek for me, andif God do not befriend us we shall all be slain. And Dona Sol said tohim in her great pain, Cousin, for all that our father hath deserved atyour hands, give us water. Felez Munoz took his hat and filled it withwater and gave it to them. And he comforted them and bade them takecourage, and besought them to bear up. And he placed them upon hishorse, and covered them both with his cloak, and led them through theoak forest, into the thickest part thereof, and there he made a bed ofleaves and of grass, and laid them on it, and covered them with hiscloak, and he sate down by them and began to weep, for he knew not whathe should do: for he had no food, and if he went to seek it, greatdanger was there because they were wounded and bloody, that the wildbeasts and the birds of the mountain would attack them; and on theother hand, unless he went to his uncle the Cid, to tell him of thiswickedness, none other knew what had been done, and thus there would beno vengeance taken.

XVI. While Felez Munoz was in this great trouble the Infantes joinedtheir company, and their spurs were bloody and their hands also fromthe wounds which they had given their wives. And when their people sawthem in this plight, and that their wives were not with them, theyweened that some wickedness had been done; and all they who were ofgood heart and understanding among them went apart, to the number of anhundred, with one who was named Pero Sanchez; and he spake unto them,saying, Friends, these Infantes have done a foul deed upon their wives,the daughters of our Lord the Cid; and they are our liege Ladies, forwe did homage to them before their father, and accepted them as such;and the Cid made us knights that we should discharge the duty which weowe to them. Now then, it behoveth us that we arm ourselves, and demandof the Infantes what they have done with our ladies, and require themat their hands. And if they will not deliver them to us, then will wefight against them even to death; for thus shall we do right, andotherwise we shall be ill spoken of, and not worthy to live in theworld. This was the counsel which Pero Sanchez gave, and they all heldit good and did accordingly. And the Infantes, when they saw themcoming and heard their demand, were greatly afraid, and they said, Goto the fountain in the Oak-forest of Corpes, and there ye may findthem; we left them safe and sound, and no harm have we done unto them;but we would not take them with us. Ill have ye done, replied thoseknights, to forsake such wives, and the daughters of such a father, andill will ye fare for it! And from henceforward, we renounce allfriendship with ye, and defy ye for the Cid, and for ourselves, and forall his people. And the Infantes could not reply. And when they sawthat the Infantes did not answer, they said, Get ye gone for traitorsand false caitiffs: there is no way in the world by which ye can escapefrom the enemies whom ye have now made! But for all this the Infantesmade no reply, and went their way.

XVII. Pero Sanchez and those other knights rode back to the green lawnin the Oak-forest, where they had left the dames; and when they came tothe fountain they saw that there was blood round about, but the dameswere not there; and they were greatly troubled, and knew not where toseek them. And they went about the forest seeking them, calling themaloud, and making great lamentation for the ill that had befallen, andalso, because they could not find them. Now Felez Munoz and the womenheard their voices, and were in great fear, for they weened that it wasthe Infantes and their company, who were returned with intent to killthem; and in their great fear they remained still, and would fain havebeen far from that place. So Pero Sanchez and they who were with himwent about seeking them in vain. Then spake up a knight called MartinFerrandez, who was a native of Burgos, saying, Friends, it boots us toturn back from hence and follow after the Infantes, and do battle withthem, even unto death, because of this wickedness which they havecommitted, rather than return to the Cid; for if we do not strive totake vengeance, we are not worthy to appear before him. And if,peradventure, we cannot come up with them upon the road, let its gobefore the King Don Alfonso, and discover unto him this foul deed, andtell him the truth thereof, to the intent that he may order justice tobe done for such a thing; for certes, greatly will he be troubled whenhe knoweth it, and greatly will he be incensed against them, inasmuchas he it was who besought the Cid to give them his daughters to wife.And we will not depart from the King's house, nor take unto ourselvesany other Lord till the Cid shall have obtained justice in this matter.And all those knights held this counsel to be good, and agreed to doso. And they took their way and followed after the Infantes as fast asthey could, taking no rest; but the Infantes had ridden away fullspeed, and they could not overtake them. And when they saw this theywent their way to King Don Alfonso who was at Palencia, and they camebefore him and kissed his hands, and then with sorrowful hearts toldhim of the evil which had befallen the Cid, in this dishonour done untohis daughters by the Infantes of Carrion. And when the King heard it hewas grievously offended, as one who had great part therein; and he saidunto him, It must needs be, that before many days we shall receivetidings of this from the Cid Campeador, and then upon his complaint wewill enter into the business in such wise, that every one shall havejustice. Then Pero Sanchez and the other knights kissed the King'shands for what he had said; and they abode in his court, waitingtidings from the Cid.

XVIII. When Felez Munoz saw that the voices which they heard hadceased, he went after awhile to a village which was at hand, to seekfood for the dames and for himself; and in this manner he kept them forseven days. And in that village he found a good man, who was ahusbandman, and who lived a godly life with his wife and with hisdaughters; and this good man knew the Cid Ruydiez, for the Cid hadlodged in his house, and he had heard tell of his great feats. And whenFelez Munoz knew this he took the man aside, seeing how good a man hewas, and how well he spake of the Cid, and told him what had befallenthose dames, and how he had hidden them in the wood. And when the goodman heard it he had great ruth for them, but he held himself a happyman in that he could do them service; and he took two asses and wentwith Felez Munoz to the place where they were hidden, and took with himhis two sons, who were young men. And when the dames saw them theymarvelled who they might be, and were ashamed and would have hiddenthemselves; but they could not. And the good man bent his knees beforethem, weeping, and said, Ladies, I am at the service of the Cid yourfather, who hath many times lodged in my house, and I served him thebest I could, and he alway was bountiful toward me. And now, this youngman, who saith his name is Felez Munoz, hath told me the great wrongand dishonour which your husbands, the Infantes of Carrion, have doneunto you. And when I heard it I was moved to great sorrow, and for thegreat desire I have to do service to the Cid and to you, I am comehither, to carry you, if you will be so pleased, upon these beasts, tomy house; for you must not remain in this wild forest, where the beastswould devour you. And when you are there, I and my wife and mydaughters will serve you the best we can; and you may then send thissquire to your father, and we will keep you secretly and well till yourfather shall send for you; this place is not fit for you, for you woulddie of cold and hunger. When the good man had said this, Dona Solturned to Dona Elvira and said, Sister, the good man saith well, and itis better that we should go with him than remain and die here, for soshall we see the vengeance which I trust in God our father will giveus. So they gave thanks to God, and to that man. And he set them uponhis beasts, and led them to the village, when it was now night; andthey entered his house secretly, so that none knew of their coming savethe good man and his family, whom he charged that they should tell noman thereof. And there his wife and his daughters ministered uoto themwith pure good will.

XIX. Then these dames wrote a letter to their father the Cid, which wasa letter of credence, that he should believe the tidings which FelezMunoz would deliver, and they wrote it with the blood from theirwounds. And Felez Munoz went his way toward Valencia; and when he cameto Santesteban he spake with Diego Tellez, who had been of the companyof Alvar Fanez, and told him of what had befallen. He, so soon as heheard this great villainy, took beasts and seemly raiment, and went forthose dames, and brought them from the house of that good man toSantesteban, and did them all honour that he could. They of Santestebanwere always gentlemen; and they comforted the daughters of the Cid, andthere they were healed of their hurts. In the mean time Felez Munozproceeded on his journey; and it came to pass that he met Alvar FanezMinaya, and Pero Bermudez on the way, going to the King with a presentwhich the Cid had sent him; and the present was this, ... two hundredhorses, from those which he had won in the battle of Quarto from KingBucar, and an hundred Moorish prisoners, and many good swords, and manyrich saddles. And as Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez rode on in talk,they thought that it was he, and marvelled greatly; and he when he drewnigh began to tear his hair, and make great lamentation, so that theywere greatly amazed. And they alighted, asking him what it was. And herelated unto them all that had befallen. But when they heard this, whocan tell the lamentation which they made? And they took counseltogether what they should do, and their counsel was this, ... that theyshould proceed to the King, and demand justice at his hands in the nameof the Cid, and that Felez Munoz should proceed to Valencia. So he toldthem the name of the good man with whom he had left the dames, and theplace where he dwelt, and also how he had spoken with Diego Tellez atSantesteban, and then they parted.

XX. Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez held on their way, and came to theKing, whom they found in Valladolid. And he received them right well,and asked them for the Cid, and they kissed his hand and said, Sir, theCid commends himself to your grace; he hath had a good affair with KingBucar of Morocco, and hath defeated him, and nine and twenty Kings whocame with him, in the field of Quarto, and great booty did he gainthere in gold and in silver, and in horses and tents and cattle; and hehath slain many and taken many prisoners. And in acknowledgment of youas his natural Lord, he sends you two hundred horses, and an hundredblack Moors, and many rich saddles and precious swords, beseeching youto accept them at his hand, in token of the desire he hath to doservice to God and to you, maintaining the faith of Jesus Christ. AndKing Don Alfonso made answer and said, that he took the present of theCid with a right good will, as of the truest and most honourable vassalthat ever Lord had: and he gave order to his people to receive it, andbade Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez seat themselves at his feet. After awhile Alvar Fanez rose and said, Sir, when we departed from the Cid weleft him in great honour and prosperity; but on our way we met a squirewho is his nephew, by name Felez Munoz, and he hath told us the eviland the dishonour which both we and the Cid endure in the villainywhich the Infantes of Carrion have committed upon his daughters. You,Sir, know how great this villainy hath been, and how nearly it touchethyou, for the marriage was of your appointment, and I gave them by yourcommand to the Infantes. Pero Sanchez hath told you that the dames weredead, as he believed them to be; but we, Sir, know that they are yetalive, having been grievously hurt and wounded with bridles and spurs,and stript of their garments, ... in which plight Felez Munoz foundthem. Certes such a thing as this cannot please God in heaven, andought to offend you who are Lord here in your own realm. Now thereforewe beseech you that you take justice for yourself, and give us and theCid ours. And let not the Cid be dishonoured in your time, for blessedbe God, he hath never been dishonoured yet, but hath gone on alwayadvancing in honour since King Don Ferrando your father knighted him inCoimbra. To this the King made answer and said, God knoweth the troublewhich I resent for this dishonour which hath been done to the Cid, andthe more I hear of it the more doth it trouble me, and many reasons arethere why it should; for my own sake, and for the sake of the Cid, andfor the sake of his daughters; but since they are yet alive the evil isnot so great, for as they have been wrongfully put to shame, nothingmeriting such treatment, they may be rightfully avenged, as my Cortesshall determine. Moreover it is a grief to me that my vassals theInfantes of Carrion should have erred so badly and with such cruelty;but since it hath been so I cannot but do justice. I hold it goodtherefore to summon them to my Cortes, which I will assemble for thismatter in Toledo, and the time assigned them shall be three months fromthis day; and do ye tell the Cid to come there with such of his peopleas he shall think good. Glad were Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez of thisreply, and they kissed his hand, and dispeeded themselves. And the Kingordered mules to be given them for the dames, with right noble saddlesand trappings of gold and cloth of gold and of wool, with menever andgris.

XXI. Then Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez went their way, and PeroSanchez and his company departed with them. They went up Val de Esguevato Penafiel, and by Roa and Arrueco, and they entered the Oak-forest ofCorpes, and Pero Sanchez showed the place beside the fountain where thevillainy had been committed; and they made such lamentation there as ifthey had seen the dames lie dead before them. Then rode they to thevillage where the good man dwelt, and went to his dwelling, and goodguerdon did they give unto him for the service which he had done, sothat he was full well requited. And they took with them the two sonsand the two daughters of the good man, that they might recompense themfor the good deeds of their father; and the dames gave them inmarriage, and made them full rich, and held them even as brothers andas sisters, because of the service which they had received from them.When it was known at Santesteban that Minaya was coming for hiskinswomen, the men of that town welcomed him and his company, and theybrought him in payment the _efurcion_, that is to say, thesupper-money, and it was full great. But Minaya would not accept it attheir hands, and he thanked them, and said, Thanks, men of Santesteban,for what ye have done, and my Cid the Campeador will thank ye, as I do,and God will give ye your guerdon. Then went they to visit theirkinswomen, and when they saw the dames, who can tell the greatlamentation which was made on both sides? albeit that they rejoiced tosee each other. And Minaya said unto them, By God, cousins, he knoweththe truth, and your father and mother know it also, ... I misdoubtedthis when you went away with those false ones; and it grieved me whenyour father said that he had given his consent that ye should go, andyour mother gainsaid it also; but we could not prevail, for he said hehad consented. Howbeit, since ye are alive, of evils let us be thankfulfor the least: you have lost one marriage, and may gain a better, andthe day will come when we shall avenge ye. That night they rested atSantesteban, and on the morrow they set forward and took the roadtowards Atienza, and the men of Santesteban escorted them as far as theriver Damor, to do them pleasure. And they past Alcoceba, and went onto the King's Ford, and there took up there lodging at the Casa deBerlanga. On the morrow they lodged at Medina Celi, and from thencethey went to Molina, and Abengalvon came out with a right good will towelcome them, for love of the Cid, and he did them all the honour thathe could. And it was accorded between them that the dames should restthere some days, because of their weakness, and that they should sendand let the Cid know what had been done.

XXII. Then Pero Bermudez went on to Valencia, and Alvar Fanez and therest of his company abode with the dames in Molina. And when PeroBermudez arrived he found the Cid Ruydiez just risen with his chivalryfrom dinner, and when the Cid saw him he welcomed him right well;howbeit he could not refrain from weeping; for before this Felez Munozhad told him all. And he stroked his beard and said, Thanks be toChrist, the Lord of this world, by this beard which no one hath evercut, the Infantes of Carrion shall not triumph in this! And he began totake comfort, hearing how King Don Alfonso had appointed the Cortes.And he took Pero Bermudez by the hand and led him to Dona Ximena, whowept greatly at seeing him, and said, Ah, Pero Bermudez, what tidingsbringest thou of my daughters? And he comforted her and said, Weep not,Lady, for I left them alive and well at Molina, and Alvar Fanez withthem; by God's blessing you shall have good vengeance for them! Thenthe Cid seated himself near his wife, and Pero Bermudez took his seatbefore them, and told them all that he had done, and how the King hadsummoned them to the Cortes at Toledo. And he said unto the Cid, Myuncle and Lord, I know not what to say, but ill is my luck that I couldnot take vengeance before I returned here; and certes, if I could havefound them I would have died, or have compleated it: but they when theyhad done this villainy dared not appear before the King, neither in hisCourt, and therefore he hath issued this summons to them that theyshould come. Manifestly may it be seen that the King well inclineth togive you justice, if you fail not to demand it. Now then I beseech youtarry not, but let us to horse and confront them and accuse them, forthis is not a thing to be done leisurely. And the Cid answered andsaid, Chafe not thyself, Pero Bermudez, for the man who thinketh bychafing to expedite his business, leaveth off worse than he began. Beyou certain, that if I die not I shall take vengeance upon thosetraitors, and I trust in God not to die till I have taken it. Nowtherefore, give me no more anger than I feel in my own heart, for FelezMunoz hath given me enough. I thank my Lord King Don Alfonso for theanswer which he gave you, and for appointing the Cortes, and in suchguise will I appear there as shall gall them who wish ill to me. Godwilling, we will take our departure in good time! Do you now return toMolina, and bring on my daughters, for I would fain see them; and Iwill talk with them that they may tell me the whole truth of thisthing, that I may know the whole when I go to the court of the King todemand vengeance.

XXIII. Pero Bermudez returned the next day to Molina, where Abengalvonhad done great honour to the dames, and to Alvar Fanez, and all thatwere with him. And they departed from Molina, and Abengalvon with them,for he would not leave them till he had brought them to Valencia to hisLord the Cid. And when the Cid knew that they were drawing nigh he rodeout two leagues to meet them, and when they saw him they made greatlamentation, they and all his company, not only the Christians but theMoors also who were in his service. But my Cid embraced his daughters,and kissed them both, and smiled and said, Ye are come, my children,and God will heal you! I accepted this marriage for you, but I could dono other; by God's pleasure ye shall be better mated hereafter. Andwhen they reached Valencia and went into the Alcazar to their motherDona Ximena, who can tell the lamentation which was made by the motherover her daughters, and the daughters with their mother, and by thewomen of their household. Three days did this great lamentation last.And the Cid thanked Abengalvon, his vassal, for the honour which he hadshown to his children and their company, and promised to protect himfrom all who should come against him. And Abengalvon returned to Molinawell pleased.

BOOK IX.

I. My Cid the Campeador made ready to appear at the Cortes in Toledo,and he left the Bishop Don Hieronymo, and Martin Pelaez the Asturian,to command in Valencia, and five hundred knights with them, allhidalgos. And he spake with his daughters, and commanded and besoughtthem to tell him the whole truth, how this matter had been, and not saythe thing which was false; and they did accordingly, and related untohim all, even as it had befallen them. And the Cid departed fromValencia, and with him went Alvar Fanez Minaya with two hundredknights, and Pero Bermudez with one hundred; and Martin Antolinez withfifty, and Martin Ferrandez with other fifty, and Felez Ferruz andBenito Sanchez with fifty each; ... these were five hundred knights.And there went fifty with Martin Garcia and Martin Salvadorez, andfifty with Pero Gonzalvez and Martin Munoz, and Diego Sanchez ofArlanza went with fifty, and Don Nuno, he who colonized Cubiella, andAlvar Bermudez he who colonized Osma, went with forty, and GonzaloMunoz of Orbaneja, and Muno Ravia, and Yvanez Cornejo with sixty, andMuno Fernandez the Lord of Monteforte, and Gomez Fernandez he whocolonized Pampliego with sixty; and Don Garcia de Roa and Serrazin hisbrother, Lord of Aza, with ninety; and Antolin Sanchez of Soria tookwith him forty knights who were his children or his kin: ... ninehundred knights were they in all. And there went with them five hundredesquires on foot, all hidalgos, beside those who were bred in hishousehold, and beside other foot-men, who were many in number. Allthese went well clad in right good garments, and with good horses, toserve the Cid both in Cortes and in the war.

II. King Don Alfonso made no delay, but sent out his letters throughLeon and Santiago, to the Portugueze and the Calicians, and they ofCarrion, and the Castillians, that he would hold a Cortes in Toledo atthe end of seven weeks, and that they who did not appear should nolonger be accounted his vassals. At this greatly were the Infantes ofCarrion troubled, for they feared the coming of my Cid the Campeador.And they took counsel with their kin and prayed the King that he wouldhold them excused from that Cortes; and the King made answer, thatnothing but God should excuse them from it, for the Campeador wascoming to demand justice against them, and he, quoth the King, who willnot appear, shall quit my kingdoms. So when they saw that they mustneeds appear, they took counsel with the Count Don Garcia, the enemy ofmy Cid, who alway wished him ill, and they went with the greatestcompany that they could assemble, thinking to dismay my Cid theCampeador. And they arrived before him.

III. When my Cid drew nigh unto Toledo, he sent Alvar Fanez forward tokiss the King's hand, and let him wit that he should be there thatnight. When the King heard this it rejoiced his heart, and he tookhorse and went out with a great company to meet him who was born inhappy hour; and there went with him his sons-in-law, the Count DonAnrrich, and the Count Don Remond; this one was the father of the goodEmperor. When they came in sight, the Cid dismounted and fell to theground, and would have abased himself to honour his Lord, but the Kingcried out to him and said, By St. Isidro this must not be to-day!Mount, Cid, or I shall not be well pleased! I welcome you with heartand soul; ... and my heart is grieved for your grief. God send that thecourt be honoured by you! Amen, said my Cid the Campeador, and hekissed his hand, and afterwards saluted him. And the Cid said, I thankGod that I see you, Sir; and he humbled himself to Count Don Anrrich,and Count Don Remond, and the others, and said, God save all ourfriends, and chiefly you, Sir! my wife Dona Ximena kisses your hand,and my daughters also, that this thing which hath befallen us, may befound displeasing unto you. And the King said, That will it be, unlessGod prevent. So they rode toward Toledo. And the King said unto him, Ihave ordered you to be lodged in my Palaces of Galiana, that you may benear me. And the Cid answered, Gramercy, Sir! God grant you long lifeand happy, but in your Palaces there is none who should be lodged saveyou. When you hold your Cortes let it be in those Palaces of Galiana,for there is better room there than in the Alcazar. I will not crossthe Tagus to-night, but will pass the night in St. Servans on thisside, and hold a vigil there. To-morrow I will enter the city, and bein the court before dinner. The King said that it pleased him well, andhe returned into Toledo. And the Cid went into the Church of St.Servans, and ordered candles to be placed upon the altar, for he wouldkeep a vigil there; and there he remained with Minaya and the othergood ones, praying to the Lord, and talking in private. The tents ofhis company were pitched upon the hills round about. Any one who beheldthem might well have said, that it looked like a great host.

IV. When the King entered the city, he bade his seneschal, BenitoPerez, make ready the Palaces of Galiana for the next day, when theCortes should begin; and he fitted the great Palace after this manner.He placed _estrados_ with carpets upon the ground, and hung the wallswith cloth of gold. And in the highest place he placed the royal chairin which the King should sit; it was a right noble chair and a rich,which he had won in Toledo, and which had belonged to the Kingsthereof; and round about it right noble _estrados_ were placed for theCounts and honourable men who were come to the Cortes. Now the Cid knewhow they were fitting up the Palaces of Galiana, and he called for asquire, who was a young man, one whom he had brought up and in whom hehad great trust; he was an hidalgo, and hight Ferran Alfonso; and theCid bade him take his ivory seat which he had won in Valencia, andwhich had belonged to the Kings thereof, and place it in the Palace, inthe best place, near the seat of the King; and that none might hurt ordo dishonour unto it, he gave him a hundred squires, all hidalgos, togo with him, and ordered them not to leave it till he should come therethe next day. So when they had dined, they made the seat be taken up,and went with it to the Palaces of Galiana, and placed it near the seatof the King, as the Cid had commanded; and all that day and night theyremained there guarding the ivory seat, till the Cid should come andtake his place thereon; every one having his sword hung from his neck.This was a right noble seat, and of subtle work, so that whoso beheldit would say it was the seat of a good man, and that it became such aone as the Cid. It was covered with cloth of gold, underneath which wasa cushion.

V. On the morrow, after the King had heard mass, he went into thePalace of Galiana, where the Cortes was to assemble, and the Infantesof Carrion and the other Counts and Ricos-omes with him, save the Cidwho was not yet come; and when they who did not love the Cid beheld hisivory seat, they began to make mock of it. And Count Garcia said to theKing, I beseech your Grace, tell me, for whom that couch is spreadbeside your seat: for what dame is it made ready; will she come drestin the _almexia_ ... or with white _alquinales_ on her head, or afterwhat fashion will she be apparelled? Sir, a seat like that is fit fornone but your Grace: give order to take it for yourself, or that it beremoved. When Ferran Alfonso, who was there to guard the ivory seatheard this, he answered and said, Count, you talk full foolishly, andspeak ill of one against whom it behoves you not to talk. He who is tosit upon this seat is better than you, or than all your lineage; and hehath ever appeared a man to all his enemies, not like a woman as yousay. If you deny this I will lay hands upon you, and make youacknowledge it before my Lord the King Don Alfonso, who is herepresent. And I am of such a race that you cannot acquit yourself bysaying I am not your peer, and the vantage of half your arms I giveyou! At these words was the King greatly troubled, and the Counts also,and all the honourable men who were there present. And Count Garcia whowas an angry man, wrapt his mantle under his arm, and would have struckFerran Alfonso, saying, Let me get at the boy who dares me! And FerranAlfonso laid hand upon his sword and came forward to meet him, saying,that if it were not for the King, he would punish him thereright forthe folly which he had uttered. But the King seeing that these wordswent on from bad to worse, put them asunder that farther evil might nothappen, and he said, None of ye have reason to speak thus of the seatof the Cid; he won it like a good knight and a valiant, as he is. Thereis not a King in the world who deserves this seat better than my vassalthe Cid, and the better and more honourable he is, the more am Ihonoured through him. This seat he won in Valencia, where it hadbelonged to the Kings thereof; and much gold and silver, and manyprecious stones hath he won; and many a battle hath he won both againstChristians and Moors: and of all the spoil which he hath won, he hathalway sent me part, and great presents and full rich, such as neverother vassal sent to his Lord; and this he hath done in acknowledgmentthat I am his Lord. Ye who are talking here against him, which of yehath ever sent me such gifts as he? If any one be envious, let himatchieve such feats as he hath done, and I will seat him with myself todo him honour.

VI. Now the Cid had performed his vigil in the Church of St. Servan,matins and primes were said, and mass performed; and then he made readyto go to the Cortes, and with him went Alvar Fanez Minaya, whom hecalled his right arm, and Pero Bermudez, and Muno Gustios, and MartinAntolinez that doughty Burgalese, and Alvar Alvarez, and AlvarSalvadorez, and Martin Munoz, and Felez Munoz the Cid's nephew, andMalanda who was a learned man, and Galin Garciez the good one ofAragon: these and others made ready to go with him, being an hundred ofthe best of his company. They wore _velmezes_ under their harness, thatthey might be able to bear it, and then their mail, which was as brightas the sun: over this they had ermine or other skins, laced tight thatthe armour might not be seen, and under their cloaks, their swordswhich were sweet and sharp. He who was born in happy hour made notarriance; he drew on his legs hose of fine cloth, and put on over themshoes which were richly worked. A shirt of _ranzal_ he wore, which wasas white as the sun; all the fastenings were wrought with gold andsilver: over this a _brial_ of gold tissue; and over this a red skinwith points of gold. My Cid the Campeador alway wore it. On his head hehad a coif of scarlet wrought with gold, which was made that none mightclip the hair of the good Cid. His was a long beard, and he bound itwith a cord. And he bade Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez assemble theircompanions, and when he saw them he said, If the Infantes of Carrionshould seek a quarrel, where I have a hundred such as these I may bewell without fear! And he said, Let us mount now and go to the Cortes.We go to make one defiance, and peradventure it may be two or three,through the folly of those who may stir against us. Ye will be ready toaid me, saying and doing as I shall call upon ye, always saving thehonour and authority of King Don Alfonso our Lord; see now that none ofye say or do ought amiss, for it would be unseemly. Then called he forhis horse, and bestrode it, and rode to the Cortes.

VII. My Cid and his company alighted at the gate of the Palaces ofGaliana, and he and his people went in gravely, he in the midst and hishundred knights round about him. When he who was born in happy hourentered, the good King Don Alfonso rose up, and the Counts Don Anrrichand Don Remond did the like, and so did all the others, save thecurly-headed one of Granon, and they who were on the side of theInfantes of Carrion. All the others received him with great honour. Andhe said unto the King, Sir, where do you bid me sit with these mykinsmen and friends who are come with me? And the King made answer,Cid, you are such a one, and have past your time so well to this day,that if you would listen to me and be commanded by me, I should hold itgood that you took your seat with me; for he who hath conquered Kings,ought to be seated with Kings. But the Cid answered, That, Sir, wouldnot please God, but I will be at your feet for by the favour of theKing your father Don Ferrando was I made, his creature and the creatureof your brother King Don Sancho am I, and it behoveth not that he whoreceiveth bounty should sit with him who dispenseth it. And the Kinganswered, Since you will not sit with me, sit on your ivory seat, foryou won it like a good man; and from this day I order that none exceptKing or Prelate sit with you, for you have conquered so many high-bornmen, and so many Kings, both Christians and Moors, that for this reasonthere is none who is your peer, or ought to be seated with you. Sittherefore like a King and Lord upon your ivory seat. Then the Cidkissed the King's hand, and thanked him for what he had said, and forthe honour which he had done him; and he took his seat, and his hundredknights seated themselves round about him. All who were in the Cortessate looking at my Cid and at his long beard which he had bound with acord; but the Infantes of Carrion could not look upon him for shame.

VIII. When they were all seated the King gave command that they shouldbe silent; and when the Cid saw that they were all still, he rose andspake after this manner. Sir King Don Alfonso, I beseech you of yourmercy that you would hear me, and give command that I should be heard,and that you would suffer none to interrupt me, for I am not a man ofspeech, neither know I how to set forth my words, and if they interruptme I shall be worse. Moreover, Sir, give command that none be boldenough to utter unseemly words, nor be insolent towards me, least weshould come to strife in your presence. Then King Don Alfonso rose andsaid, Hear me, as God shall help you! Since I have been King I haveheld only two Cortes, one in Burgos, and one in Carrion. This third Ihave assembled here in Toledo for the love of the Cid, that he maydemand justice against the Infantes of Carrion for the wrongs which weall know. The Counts Don Anrrich and Don Remoud shall be Alcaldes inthis cause; and these other Counts who are not on either side, give yeall good heed, for ye are to take cognizance that the right may bedecreed. And I give order, and forbid any one, to speak without mycommand, or to utter aught insolent against the Cid; and I swear by St.Isidro, that whosoever shall disturb the Cortes shall lose my love andbe banished from the kingdom. I am on the side of him who shall befound to have the right. Then those Counts who were appointed Alcaldeswere sworn upon the Holy Gospels, that they would judge between the Cidand the Infantes of Carrion, rightly and truly, according to the law ofCastille and Leon.

IX. When this was done the King bade the Cid make his demand; and theCid rose and said, Sir, there is no reason for making long speecheshere, which would detain the Cortes. I demand of the Infantes ofCarrion, before you, two swords which I gave into their keeping; theone is Colada and the other Tizona. I won them like a man, and gavethem to the keeping of the Infantes that they might honour my daughterswith them, and serve you. When they left my daughters in the Oak-forestof Corpes they chose to have nothing to do with me, and renounced mylove; let them therefore give me back the swords, seeing that they areno longer my sons-in-law. Then the King commanded the Alcaldes to judgeupon this demand according as they should find the right; and they tookcounsel and judged, that the swords should be restored unto the Cid.And Count Don Garcia said they would talk concerning it; and theInfantes of Carrion talked apart with those who were on their side, andthey thought that they were well off; for that the Cid would demandnothing more of them, but would leave the Cortes when he had recoveredthe swords. So they brought the swords Colada and Tizona, and deliveredthem to the King. The King drew the swords, and the whole Court shonewith their brightness: their hilts were of solid gold; all the good menof the Cortes marvelled at them. And the Cid rose and received them,and kissed the King's hand, and went back to his ivory seat; and hetook the swords in his hand and looked at them; they could not changethem, for the Cid knew them well, and his whole frame rejoiced, and hesmiled from his heart. And he laid them upon his lap and said, Ah, myswords, Colada and Tizona, truly may I say of you, that you are thebest swords in Spain; and I won you, for I did not get you either bybuying or by barter. I gave ye in keeping to the Infantes of Carrionthat they might do honour to my daughters with ye. But ye were not forthem! they kept ye hungry, and did not feed ye with flesh as ye werewont to be fed. Well is it for you that ye have escaped that thraldomand are come again to my hands, and happy man am I to recover you. ThenAlvar Fanez rose and kissed the hand of the Cid, and said, I beseechyou give Colada into my keeping while this Cortes shall last, that Imay defend you therewith: and the Cid gave it him and said. Take it, ithath changed its master for the better. And Pero Bermudez rose and madethe same demand for the sword Tizona, and the Cid gave it him in likemanner. Then the Cid laid hand upon his beard as he was wont to do, andthe Infantes of Carrion and they who were of their side thought that hemeant to disturb the Cortes, and they were greatly afraid; but he satestill like a man of good understanding, for he was not one who didthings lightly.

X. Then the Cid rose and said, Thanks be to God and to you, Sir King, Ihave recovered my swords Colada and Tizona, I have now another demandagainst the Infantes of Carrion, King Don Alfonso, you well know thatit was your pleasure to bid me meet you at Requena, and I went there inobedience to your command. And you asked of me my daughters in marriagefor the Infantes, and I did not refuse, in that I would not disobeyyour command; and you bade me deliver them to my kinsman here Don AlvarFanez, and he gave them to the Infantes to be their wives, and theblessing was given them in the church of St. Mary, according to the lawof Rome. You, Sir, gave them in marriage, not I; and you did it forgood, not for evil; but what they did was after another wise. Andthough they are of great blood and honourable, yet would I not havegiven my daughters to them, unless in obedience to your command; andthis, Sir, you well know, for so I said unto you. I gave them, whenthey took my daughters from Valencia, horses and mules, and cups andvessels of fine gold, and much wrought silver, and many noble garments,and other gifts, three thousand marks of silver in all, thinking that Igave it to my daughters whom I loved. Now, Sir, since they have cast mydaughters off, and hold themselves to have been dishonoured in marryingthem, give command that they restore unto me this which is my own, orthat they show cause why they should not. Then might you have seen theInfantes of Carrion in great chafing. And Count Don Remond called uponthem to speak; and they said, We gave his swords to the Cid Campeador,that he might ask nothing more of us, if it please the King. But theKing said that they must answer to the demand. And they asked toconsult together concerning it; and the King bade them take counsel andmake answer incontinently. So they went apart, and with them elevenCounts and Ricos-omes who were on their side, but no right or reasoncould they find for opposing this demand which the Cid had made.Howbeit Count Don Garcia spake for them and said, Sir, this which theCid demands back from them, it is true that he gave it, but they haveexpended it in your service; we hold therefore that they are not boundto make restitution of it, seeing how it hath been expended.Nevertheless if you hold it to be lawful that they should restore thismoney, give order that time be given them to make the payment, and theywill go to Carrion, their inheritance, and there discharge the demandas you shall decree. When the Count had thus said he sate down. And theCid arose and said, Sir, if the Infantes of Carrion have expended aughtin your service, it toucheth not me. You and the Alcaldes whom you haveappointed have heard them admit that I gave them this treasure, andthis excuse which they set up; I pray you let judgment be given whetherthey are bound to pay it or not. Then King Don Alfonso answered andsaid, If the Infantes of Carrion have expended aught in my service, Iam bound to repay it, for the Cid must not lose what is his own; and hebade the Alcaldes consult together and judge according to what theyshould find right. And the Alcaldes having taken counsel gave judgment,that seeing the Infantes acknowledged the Cid had given them thistreasure with his daughters, and they had abandoned them, they mustneeds make restitution in the Cortes of the King there right: and theKing confirmed this sentence, and the Cid rose and kissed the King'shand. Greatly were the Infantes of Carrion troubled at this sentence,and they besought the King that he would obtain time for them from theCid, in which to make their payment; and the King besought him to grantthem fifteen days, after this manner, that they should not depart fromthe Court till they had made the payment, and that they should plighthomage for the observance of this. And the Cid granted what the Kingdesired, and they plighted homage accordingly in the hands of the King,Then made they their account with the King, and it was found that whatthey had expended for his service was two hundred marks of silver, andthe King said that he would repay this, so that there remained for themtwo thousand and eight hundred to pay. Who can tell the trouble inwhich the Infantes were, to pay this treasure to the Cid, they and alltheir kindred and friends, for it was full hard for them to accomplish,And they took up upon trust horses and mules and wrought silver, andother precious things, and as they could get them, delivered them overto the Cid. Then might you have seen many a good-going horse broughtthere, and many a good mule, and many a good palfrey, and many a goodsword with its mountings. And they sent to Carrion to their father andmother to help them, for they were in great trouble; and they raisedfor them all they could, so that they made up the sum within the timeappointed. And then they thought that the matter was at an end, andthat nothing more would be demanded from them.

XI. After this payment had been made the Cortes assembled again, andthe King and all the honourable men being each in his place, the Cidrose from his ivory seat, and said, Sir, praise be to God and yourfavour, I have recovered my swords, and my treasure; now then I prayyou let this other demand be heard which I have to make against theInfantes. Full hard it is for me to make it, though I have it rooted inmy heart! I say then, let them make answer before you, and tell why itwas that they besought you to marry them with my daughters, and whythey took them away from me from Valencia, when they had it in heart todishonour me, and to strike them, and leave them as they were left, inthe Oak-forest of Corpes? Look, Sir, what dishonour they did them! theystript them of the garments which they had not given them, as if theyhad been bad women, and the children of a bad father. With less thanmortal defiance I shall not let them go!... How had I deserved this,Infantes, at your hands? I gave you my daughters to take with you fromValencia; with great honour and great treasures gave I them untoyou;... Dogs and Traitors,... ye took them from Valencia when ye didnot love them, and with your bridles ye smote and with your spurs yespurned and wounded them, and ye left them alone in the Oak-forest, tothe wild beasts, and to the birds of the mountain! King Don Alfonso,they neither remembered God, nor you, nor me, nor their own goodfortune! And here was fulfilled the saying of the wise man, that harderit is for those who have no understanding to bear with good than withevil. Praise be to God and to your grace, such a one am I, and suchfavour hath God shown me, from the day when I first had horse and arms,until now, that not only the Infantes of Carrion, but saving yourself,Sir, there is not a King in Christendom who might not think himselfhonoured in marrying with either of my daughters,... how much more thenthese traitors!... I beseech you give me justice upon them for the eviland dishonour which they have done me! And if you and your Cortes willnot right me, through the mercy of God and my own good cause, I willtake it myself, for the offence which they have committed against Godand the faith, and the truth which they promised and vowed to theirwives. I will pull them down from the honour in which they now are;better men than they have I conquered and made prisoners ere now! andwith your license, Sir, to Carrion will I follow them, even to theirinheritance, and there will I besiege them, and take them by thethroat, and carry them prisoners to Valencia to my daughters, and theremake them do penance for the crime which they have committed, and feedthem with the food which they deserve. If I do not perform this, callme a flat traitor. When the King heard this he rose up and said, thatit might be seen how he was offended in this thing. Certes, Cid RuydiezCampeador, I asked your daughters of you for the Infantes of Carrion,because, as they well know, they besought me to do so, I never havingthought thereof. It well seemeth now that they were not pleased withthis marriage which I made at their request, and great part of thedishonour which they have done you, toucheth me. But seeing ye are herein my presence, it is not fitting that you make your demand in anyother manner than through my Cortes; do you therefore accuse them, andlet them acquit themselves if they can before my Alcaldes, who willpass sentence according to what is right. And the Cid kissed the King'shand, and returned to his place upon the ivory seat.

XII. Then the Cid arose and said, God prosper you, Sir, in life, andhonour, and estate, since you have compassion for me and for thedishonour which my daughters have received. And he turned towards theInfantes of Carrion, and said, Ferrando Gonzalez and Diego Gonzalez, Isay that ye are false traitors for leaving your wives as ye left themin the Oak-forest; and here before the King I attaint you as falsetraitors, and defy you, and will produce your peers who shall prove itupon you, and slay you or thrust you out of the lists, or make youconfess it in your throats. And they were silent. And the King said,that seeing they were there present, they should make answer to whatthe Cid had said. Then Ferrando Gonzalez the elder arose and said, Sir,we are your subjects, of your kingdom of Castille, and of the besthidalgos therein, sons of the Count Don Gonzalo Gonzalez; and we holdthat men of such station as ourselves were not well married with thedaughters of Ruydiez of Bivar. And for this reason we forsook them,because they come not of blood fit for our wives, for one lineage isabove another. Touching what he says, that we forsook them, he saithtruly; and we hold that in so doing we did nothing wrong, for they werenot worthy to be our wives, and we are more to be esteemed for havingleft them, than we were while they were wedded with us. Now then, Sir,there is no reason why we should do battle upon this matter with anyone. And Diego Gonzalez his brother arose and said, You know, Sir, whatperfect men we are in our lineage, and it did not befit us to bemarried with the daughters of such a one as Ruydiez; and when he hadsaid this he held his peace and sate down. Then Count Don Garcia roseand said, Come away, Infantes, and let us leave the Cid sitting like abridegroom in his ivory chair:... he lets his beard grow and thinks tofrighten us with it!... The Campeador put up his hand to his beard, andsaid, What hast thou to do with my beard, Count? Thanks be to God, itis long because it hath been kept for my pleasure; never son of womanhath taken me by it; never son of Moor or of Christian hath plucked it,as I did yours in your castle of Cabra, Count, when I took your castleof Cabra, and took you by the beard; there was not a boy of the hostbut had his pull at it. What I plucked then is not yet methinks growneven!... And the Count cried out again, Come away, Infantes, and leavehim! Let him go back to Rio de Ovierna, to his own country, and set uphis mills, and take toll as he used to do!... he is not your peer thatyou should strive with him. At this the knights of the Cid looked ateach other with fierce eyes and wrathful countenances; but none of themdared speak till, the Cid bade them, because of the command which hehad given.

XIII. When the Cid saw that none of his people made answer he turned toPero Bermudez and said, Speak, Pero Mudo, what art thou silent for? Hecalled him Mudo, which is to say, Dumb-ee, because he snaffled andstuttered when he began to speak; and Pero Bermudez was wroth that heshould be so called before all that assembly. And he said, I tell youwhat, Cid, you always call me Dumb-ee in Court, and you know I cannothelp my words; but when anything is to be done, it shall not fail forme. And in his anger he forgot what the Cid had said to him and to theothers that they should make no broil before the King. And he gatheredup his cloak under his arm and went up to the eleven Counts who wereagainst the Cid, to Count Garcia, and when he was nigh him he clenchedhis fist, and gave him a blow which brought him to the ground. Then wasthe whole Cortes in an uproar by reason of that blow, and many swordswere drawn, and on one side the cry was Cabra and Granon, and on theother side it was Valencia and Bivar; but the strife was in such sortthat the Counts in short time voided the Palace, King Don Alfonsomeantime cried out aloud, forbidding them to fight before him, andcharging them to look to his honour; and the Cid then strove what hecould to quiet his people, saying to the King. Sir, you saw that Icould bear it no longer, being thus maltreated in your presence; if ithad not been before you, well would I have had him punished. Then theKing sent to call those Counts who had been driven out; and they cameagain to the Palace, though they fain would not, complaining of thedishonour which they had received. And the King said unto them thatthey should defend themselves with courtesy and reason, and not revilethe Cid, who was not a man to be reviled; and he said that he woulddefend as far as he could the rights of both parties. Then they tooktheir seats on the estrados as before.

XIV. And Pero Bermudez rose and said to Count Garcia, Foul mouth, inwhich God hath put no truth, thou hast dared let thy tongue loose tospeak of the Cid's beard. His is a praiseworthy beard, and anhonourable one, and one that is greatly feared, and that never hathbeen dishonoured, nor overcome! and if you please you may remember whenhe fought against you in Cabra, hundred to hundred, he threw you fromyour horse, and took thee by the beard, and made thee and thy knightsprisoners, and carried thee prisoner away across a pack-saddle; and hisknights pulled thy beard for thee, and I who stand here had a goodhand-full of it: how then shall a beard that hath been pulled speakagainst one that hath alway been honourable! If you deny this, I willfight you upon this quarrel before the King our Lord. Then Count SueroGonzalez rose in great haste and said, Nephews, go you away and leavethese rascally companions: if they are for fighting, we will give themtheir fill of that, if our Lord the King should think good so tocommand; that shall not fail for us, though they are not our peers.Then Don Alvar Fanez Minaya arose and said, Hold thy peace, Count SueroGonzalez! you have been to breakfast before you said your prayers, andyour words are more like a drunkard's than one who is in his senses.Your kinsmen like those of the Cid!... if it were not out of reverenceto my Lord and King, I would teach you never to talk again in this way.And then the King saw that these words were going on to worse, andmoreover that they were nothing to the business; and he commanded themto be silent, and said, I will determine this business of the defiancewith the Alcaldes, as shall be found right; and I will not have thesedisputes carried on before me, least you should raise another uproar inmy presence.

XV. Then the King rose and called to the Alcaldes, and went apart withthem into a chamber, and the Cid and all the others remained in theHall. And when the King and the Alcaldes had taken counsel togetherconcerning what was right in this matter, they came out from thechamber, and the King went and seated himself in his chair, and theAlcaldes each in his place, and they commanded all persons to be silentand hear the sentence which the King should give. Then the King spakethus: I have taken counsel with these Counts whom I appointed to beAlcaldes in this cause between the Cid and the Infantes of Carrion, andwith other honourable and learned men: and this is the sentence which Igive; that both the Infantes and Count Suero Gonzalez their fostererand uncle, forasmuch as it is given me to understand that he was theadviser and abettor in the dishonour which they did unto the daughtersof the Cid, shall do battle with such three of the Cid's people as itmay please him to appoint, and thereby acquit themselves if they can.When the King had given this sentence, the Cid rose and kissed, hishand and said, May God have you, Sir, in his holy keeping long andhappy years, seeing you have judged justly, as a righteous King and ournatural Lord. I receive your sentence; and now do I perceive that it isyour pleasure to show favour unto me, and to advance mine honour, andfor this reason I shall ever be at your service. Then Pero Bermudezrose up and went to the Cid and said, A boon, Sir! I beseech you let mebe one of those who shall do battle on your part, for such a one do Ihold myself to be, and this which they have done is so foul a thing,that I trust in God to take vengeance for it. And the Cid made answerthat he was well pleased it should be so, and that he should do battlewith Ferrando Gonzalez the eldest; and upon that Pero Bermudez kissedhis hand. Then Martin Antolinez of Burgos rose and besought the Cidthat he might be another, and the Cid granted his desire, and said thathe should do battle with Diego Gonzalez the younger brother. And thenMuno Gustioz of Linquella rose and besought the Cid that he might bethe third, and the Cid granted it, and appointed him to do battle withCount Suero Gonzalez. And when the Cid had appointed his threechampions, the King gave command that the combat should be performed onthe morrow; but the Infantes were not prepared to fight so soon, andthey besought him of his favour that he would let them go to Carrion,and that they would come prepared for the battle. And the King wouldnot allow this time which they requested; howbeit the Counts DonAnrrich and Don Remond his sons-in-law, and Count Don Nuno, spake withhim, and besought him of his grace that he would allow them threeweeks; and the King at their intreaty granted it with the pleasure ofthe Cid.

XVI. Now when all this had been appointed, as ye have heard, and whilethey were all in the court, there came into the Palace messengers fromthe Kings of Aragon and of Navarre, who brought letters to King DonAlfonso, and to the Cid Campeador, wherein those Kings sent to ask thedaughters of the Cid in marriage, the one for the Infante Don Sancho ofAragon, the other for the Infante Garcia Ramirez of Navarre. And whenthey came before the King, they bent their knees and gave him theletters, and delivered their message; the like did they to the Cid.Much were the King and the Cid also pleased at this news, and the Kingsaid unto him, What say you to this? And the Cid answered, I and mydaughters are at your disposal, do you with us as you shall think good.And the King said, I hold it good that they wed with these Infantes,and that from henceforward they be Queens and Ladies; and that for thedishonour which they have received, they now receive this honour. Andthe Cid rose and kissed the hands of the King, and all his knights didthe like. These messengers hight, he of Aragon Ynigo Ximenez, and he ofNavarre Ochoa Perez. And the King gave order that his letters ofconsent to these marriages should be given, and the Cid did the like.And those knights did homage before the King, that in three months fromthat day the Infantes of Aragon and of Navarre should come to Valencia,to the Cid, to be wedded to his daughters. Great joy had the companionsof the Cid that these marriages were appointed, seeing how their honourwas increased; and contrariwise, great was the sorrow of the Infantesof Carrion and their friends, because it was to their confusion andgreat shame. And King Don Alfonso said aloud unto the Cid before themall, Praised be the name of God, because it hath pleased him that thedishonour which was done to me and to you and your daughters, shouldthus be turned into honour: for they were the wives of the sons ofCounts, and now shall they he the wives of the sons of Kings, andQueens hereafter. Great was the pleasure of the Cid and his company atthese words of the King, for before they had sorrow, and now it wasturned into joy. And the Infantes went away from the Palace full sadly,and went to their lodging, and prepared to go to Carrion that theymight make ready for the combat, which was to be in three weeks fromthat time.

XVII. Then the Cid said unto the King, Sir, I have appointed those whoare to do battle with the Infantes and their uncle for the enmity andtreason which they committed against me and my daughters; and now, Sir,as there is nothing more for me to do here, I will leave them in yourhand, knowing that you will not suffer them to receive any displeasureor wrong soever, and that you will defend their right. And if it pleaseyou I would fain return to Valencia, where I have left my wife anddaughters, and my other companions; for I would not that the Moorsshould rise up against me during my absence, thinking peradventure thatI have not sped so well in this matter as I have done, praised be Godand you. And moreover I have to make ready for these marriages whichyou have now appointed. And the King bade him go when he pleased, andgood fortune with him, and said that he would protect his knights andmaintain his right in all things. Then the Cid kissed the King's handfor this which he had said, and commended the knights to his keeping.And the King called for Count Don Remond his son-in-law, and gave theknights of the Cid to his charge, and bade them not depart from him;and then the King rose and returned to the Alcazar.

XVIII. Then the Cid took off his coif of _ranzal,_ which was as whiteas the sun, and he loosed his beard, and took it out of the cord withwhich it was bound. All they who were there could not be satisfied withlooking at him. And the Counts Don Anrrich and Don Remond came up tohim, and he embraced them, and thanked them and the other good men whohad been Alcaldes in this business, for maintaining his right; and hepromised to do for them in requital whatever they might require; and hebesought them to accept part of his treasures. And they thanked him forhis offer, but said that it was not seemly. Howbeit he sent greatpresents to each of them, and some accepted them and some did not. Whocan tell how nobly the Cid distributed his treasure before he departed?And he forgave the King the two hundred marks which should have beenpaid on account of the Infantes. And to the knights who had come fromAragon and Navarre concerning the marriages, he gave many horses, andmoney in gold, and sent them with great honour into their own country.

XIX. On the morrow the Cid went to take leave of the King, and the Kingwent some way out of the town with him, and all the good men who werein the court also, to do him honour as he deserved. And when he wasabout to dispeed himself of the King they brought him his precioushorse Bavieca, and he turned to the King and said, Sir, I should departill from hence if I took with me so good a horse as my Bavieca, and didnot leave him for you, for such a horse as this is fit for you and forno other master: and that you may see what he is, I will do before youwhat it is long since I have done except in the battles which I havehad with my enemies. Then he mounted his horse, with his erminehousings, and gave him the spur. Who can tell the goodness of the horseBavieca, and of the Cid who rode him? And as the Cid was doing this thehorse brake one of his reins, yet he came and stopt before the King aseasily as if both the reins had been whole. Greatly did the King andall they who were with him marvel at this, saying that they had neverseen or heard of so good a horse as that. And the Cid besought the Kingthat he would be pleased to take the horse, but the King answered, Godforbid that I should take him!... rather would I give you a better if Ihad one, for he is better bestowed on you than on me or any other, forupon that horse you have done honour to yourself, and to us, and to allChristendom, by the good feats which you have atchieved. Let him go asmine, and I will take him when I please. Then the Cid kissed the King'shand and dispeeded himself, and the King embraced him and returned toToledo.

XX. Now when the Cid had taken leave of the King, and of the otherhonourable men and Counts, and Ricos-omes who were with him, PeroBermudez and Martin Antolinez and Muno Gustioz went on yet awhile withhim: and he counselled them how to demean themselves so as to clear himof the shame which had been done him, and to be held for good knights